FAAYI
by ChalagoSpace
Summary: "Alfred, what the hell are we wearing?" Years after the WITCH gang, five boys are selected by the Heart of Earth to protect the Oracle's grandson, Feliciano Vargas. WITCH/APH crossover based off the tv series.
1. Arc Zero - Prologue

_Tuesday evening, 6:15 p.m_

Movies lie, Alfred realizes. When you get into a wreck it doesn't nearly go as fast as the films suggest, or at least not enough to save the driver from excruciating pain.

Everything happens then nothing at all. Hit, crash, bang, smash. He watches the fluff-dotted skyline turn sideways, down, up, and shrieks as copper tears into organs his Anatomy teacher lectured him about once. Somewhere in the back of his mind he imagines his cousin Arthur shake his head.

Or yelling. The golden-haired teen is glad his cousin didn't wait up for him, Arthur would be pissed off about his attendance record being ruined the next day.

After all, the road is slowing down beside him and inking black, then cherry. Alfred's pretty sure he's going to be late to school tomorrow. Maybe for the…entire…day…

_Probably be late for graduation too. Great._

_Tuesday afternoon, 4:43 p.m_

Hetalia High is located between 7th Avenue and an old coffee shop that's been there since 1954, a detail Francis only cares about because he's part of the school's newspaper club. Jotting down note after note as the amazingly drab owner rattles off facts, the teen blows air through his teeth. This was almost as boring as the time Arthur told Francis about his teacup collection. _Just a few more questions, then I can leave._

"-and the scenery is the fifteenth best spot in this area," finished Mr. Henley, the owner of the establishment. Francis nods and licks his thumb to separate a new sheet of paper, flips it over. "That's the main information. We also have a greenhouse at the top of the building. Would you like to see it?" Said man mumbles something as he checks what he has so far. "Splendid! Follow me please."

The owner, Mr. Henley, grabs his keys from the counter and tells his sister to watch the store before opening a door at the back. Francis walks after him distractedly and nearly trips on the stairs going up to the roof.

"What?" He blinks, confused.

"Ah, yes. Be careful, these stairs aren't the newest in the neighborhood!" Mr. Henley laughs as he hits the final step at the top. Francis quirks an eyebrow and starts up once more, a bit apprehensive. _I really hope I didn't just follow a crazy man-I didn't even hear what he asked. _The high school senior grumbles internally.

When he reaches the top Francis is momentarily blinded by the sun beams bouncing off the greenhouse's plastic hull. He squints his eyes, rubs them, and freezes.

A greenhouse. He's agreed to go into a greenhouse.

"The frame was built about four years after the original owner's wife moved in," that blasted coffee shop owner told him, "dandy little thing she was. She had her brothers' from New Orleans come and build it. Any who, I'll show you in."

Francis panicked.

"Uh, well, I'd love to look Mr. Henley, but unfortunately I've got to get back soon-"

"Nonsense! Surely you have a minute." Just like that, Mr. Henley went behind and pushed Francis gently into the structure before moving ahead. "They're a spectacular thing, flowers. I once thought of opening a floral shop myself, unfortunately I didn't have near the credit." Francis remained rooted to the fractured concrete beneath him and owlishly eyed the premises. Nothing stirred as he stepped in. Okay, well that excuse fell through. But, he wasn't hearing any of them yet, so maybe the _thing_ won't happen.

Yeah, right. Luminescent daffodils fluttered to his left, hydrogens sparkled on the right. No sprinklers were active, thank goodness, he just got these boots. Regardless of the dim plastic, golden rays touched each flower equal and tender; Stains from the last watering were paced out over the ground and lime-colored young vines flowed overhead. That wasn't what caught his eye. This circus's main attraction lay where Mr. Henley was currently standing, the most confident and proud blossom Francis had ever had the pleasure of being given.

_Rosacea._ The Old Garden Rose. There was a crowd of them, huddled amongst the orchids and poppies; each shone spectacularly with an upside down dress, ebony rising up into crimson and spreading out as if in mid dance. While the violet and amethyst orchids also held beauty, they weren't near the competition. Francis felt a smile poke his cheeks. Ah, he always had a soft spot for roses, well, actually for any type of flower. He hadn't seen some of these in ages- living in one of the most urban places in America did that.

His legs moved like possession taken form and Francis ignored the warning from his mind about the consequences of going near them. Nothing had come about so far, he figured he was in the clear.

Francis stepped up to the raised table, and Mr. Henley started saying something probably important, but the Frenchman only reached out. Grazing a few pedals from the tallest of the bunch, Francis toke in the aroma slowly, his lips upturning, before he noticed one particular rose. It was stunning ruby, much more graceful than the jewel, but its head hung low almost out of shame. Francis felt his smile vanish. There was no physical issue at all with it. _Why do you bend like that?_

The rose didn't answer. Francis tried again.

"Hey," he whispered, raising the bud gently, "what's the matter, dear? You shouldn't bow in such a way. Come now, don't look so guilty, I'm sure whatever you did can be forgiven." He waited for a moment, then removed his hand slowly.

The rose stood up perfectly straight.

Francis beamed. _Well, that's a first-_

Then the flower promptly shot up and curled around his wrist and the man yelped. "Not again, dammit!" He hissed as the thorns dug into the flesh; Mr. Henley began to come over with hedge clippers and Francis nearly faints. "NO- I mean no, I've got this! He's just scared." Luckily the shop owner doesn't hear that last bit thanks to a spare vine wrapping around his foot and tripping him.

"Oof!" He went as his stomach collided with the floor. Before Mr. Henley could gather his wits, orchid roots and daffodil lianas grabbed and tangled his legs making it impossible to move. Around Francis, he could already feel the tingle of leaves brushing his shoulders gently, inquisitively. Then suddenly a shadow loomed above Francis's figure and oh, looks like he made the sunflowers sprout up again. Brilliant. This was already looking similar to his previous 'incidents'. Already the structure was being sluggishly taken hostage by the shrubbery.

When a root the width of a baseball falls down in front of Francis, he's had it.

"_Enough_! You, off, now." The rose wilts but quickly unwinds from his wrist and settles back with his group. "Good. Stay. Release him." He points to Mr. Henley, who thankfully was still out of breath and confused. The plants immediately take heed and released the middle aged man as well as clear a spot for both to walk again.

When all of this is done, Francis closes his eyes and inhales slowly.

Then books it to the stairs. He takes two at a time and nearly plows into the shop's door as he turns to go in. Mr. Henley's sister instantly notices the senior enter and asks something but he's not even paying attention. Francis has the key to his Toyota in his hand by the time he steps up to the crimson door.

Engine roaring, the teen barely avoids a collision with a Mitsubishi as he's backing out of his parking place. Francis then throws it into drive and speeds away-taking note to go down the street that doesn't have trees in it.

Word Count: 1141

_Tuesday afternoon, 2:13 p.m_

He felt a giggle brush up against his tongue but stayed silent. He didn't want to risk getting caught in this game, and the instructor was one of the few who doesn't frighten easily. However, as he released another airplane and twirls his finger to create a breeze, Ivan's having too much fun watching Eduard scramble to hide the paper menaces. His brother Raivis's reactions made it all worthwhile too; his pupils had shrunk into kiwi seeds.

Ivan eased his cheek into his palm and lazily guided his contraption around the jeans and desks. One row, over. One row, pivot. Mr. Teno commented on the lack of school funding. Ivan was just about to Eduard's seat when Arthur, in the seat directly to the right of his target, reached down into his backpack, just as the aircraft started on the isle. With a dart of an eye and an inhale the plane made a hard right in between two students before Kirkland noticed. Ivan grumbled and quickly blew another short breeze to keep his craft moving.

Damn him. Now he had to circle back around if he wanted to get to Eduard before the end of class. Why was it lately that this student started getting in his way? Surely he had better things to do with his time than disrupt the younger's entertainment.

It was a complicated system; Ivan couldn't risk the toy weaving around full rows without someone's peripheral vision catching it. Straight up in the air was out of the question, obviously. So, he devised the tactic of 'stepping stools'. The plane would go behind Ivan's chair, go up one desk and behind, and repeat the process until it goes directly under the Estonian's seat and lands on his leg.

The sheets are always blank, but Eduard scowls at the newest arrival to his growing collection, and Ivan's lilac eyes narrow. The bi-spectacled man only makes that face when it comes to Braginsky's not-too-comfy-pranks. Looks like he'll have to end this favorite pastime soon if he wants to stay unknown.

The bell rings and Pandora's Box opens. Everyone struggles to gather their things quicker than their classmate and practically become a mass of limbs and notebook paper heading towards the door. The instructor Mr. Teno included. Arthur and Eduard are not part of this, they, like Ivan, take their time; all three have an activity period next, a perk of being a high school senior. Ivan drops his last book in the pack, throws it over his shoulder and calmly makes his way out. In his other hand lay his P.E outfit for basketball.

_I wonder what other games I could play with this new power_. The teen chuckled as he walked causing a few people around him to back away. Ivan just smiled at them, they backed away further. He turned a corner towards the end of the school where the gym was, and that's went it hit him.

Ah, perhaps he should prank the 'Golden Boy' next? Jones is always meddling in his affairs and acting so arrogant, a few slips during his football game couldn't hurt the man. Too much. Also, if he remembered correctly, the football star hated ghosts and the supernatural.

Well, Ivan is pretty sure he does not count as 'normal' anymore and could be a candidate for such a category-

"LOOK OUT!" Ivan looked behind him, glaring. The command wasn't directed at him, but there was a run-away roller with heavy computer equipment flying down the corridors. It sped past students, almost in a mad frenzy. However, it seemed the people directly in the cabinet's way were the only ones listening; everyone else was laughing at the technician chasing it. The man in question tried desperately to stay close to the moving cupboard but he was losing distance, fast. Ivan wasn't sympathetic. He shouldn't have let it go in the first place. Such tomfoolery was one of the reasons he hated this school.

"Everyone get out of the way! Hey, KID! WATCH OUT!"

Ivan shrugged and began his trek again. Whatever, it already went past him so there was no problem. The high school senior is four steps to the gymnasium door when someone actually screams.

"_RAIVIS_!" Ivan turned around fully this time and eyed the sight down the hall.

The weak freshman had been pushed directly in the way of the cart by a group of juniors, his ankle twisted painfully in the process. His head had smacked against the tile too, thankfully not that hard. Raivis lay dazed and unable to get up, and no one was close enough, or willing, to get to him in time.

Ivan grumbled, dropped his bag, and quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching him. Swinging his ride side back, the teenager formed a current of air in his palm, before rocking forward and releasing it. The surge flew parallel to the wall closest to Ivan's person before it leapt away, past Raivis, and into the cabinet's left front and back wheels. The cabinet tipped dangerous to its side and veered a hard right missing the freshman by inches. It continued down a different hallway briefly before colliding into the south-east wing.

There are cheers all about the hallway and the technician bends down to help Raivis. Ivan grabs his bag and slings it next to his other backpack, a frown set deep in his mouth. Without another glance to the brunette, the basketball star started down the hallway once more.

Perhaps all is not lost on playing games. After all, there were plenty of other, lower-class options.

From the place where the computer cabinet had fallen over, the windows lay quiet for a moment, then splayed with a dozen cracks.

_Tuesday, noon, 12:05 a.m_

"YONG SO! GET BACK HERE _NOW_."

"Nooo brother, you'll hit me."

"I'm going to do worst if I catch you!" Wang Yao hissed as he pursued his wayward brother down the second floor stairs. All he heard in response was a wild cackle. Yao quickly moved around other students while muttering an apology. "Yong So! Give me back my lunch _now_." Said Korean merely shook his head as he hit the last step and darted for the mess hall.

The school was divided by five wings and looked something close to a star: Its main entrance was situated at the south end, in-between the south-east and south-west wing. The very north wing lead to the gym and locker rooms, the east wing lead to the cafeteria, and the west lead to the art, steel, and wood shops. The whole structure stood four stories tall with a garden at the top and four angry old pigeons guarding it.

So it was with great care Yao came off the steps leading down to the base floor before he bolts towards the younger. The two are sent sprawling into the cafeteria, and Yao managed to grab his Hello Kitty container. The teen grinned in triumph then gasped as both of them crashed into their table. Mei-mei and Leon, the twins of the family, merely moved their plates before impact.

"What took you guys so long?" Leon asked biting into a piece of salmon while watching his siblings catch their breath. "We almost left for the art shop without you."

"I was a little _busy_," Yao glared at Im Yong So as both took a seat at the table, "sorry Leon. Besides I thought you left with that other kid-oh what was his name-?"

"_Emil_, Gege. Gosh you sound like such an old man." Mei-mei snickered as she finished off her sandwich.

Yao went red. "I-It's not my fault I have terrible retention!" He sniffed and opened his container. Leon nodded sagely in agreement mimicking their grandma's stance.

"Yeah, Mei-mei, don't be so rude. You know we're supposed to respect our _elders_ now." Leon added, Yong So howled at the remark but quieted when Yao shot him a look.

"Younger generations, no appreciation whatsoever." The eldest Wang teen stated, stiffly, while he turned back to his food and separated his chopsticks. "You're lucky we didn't end up at grandfather's place, Yong So. His tolerance for eccentrics isn't near the distance as mine."

Im Yong So just huffed and changed the subject. "So, still having weird dreams?"

Yao chewed his food contemplatively before swallowing.

"Yes."

"Jeeezzz, _Gege_, it's been like, a month! Surely they've stopped by now?" Mei-mei wondered out loud but Yao just shook his head.

"No. In fact, they're getting worse." He sighed and winced when he took a bite of slightly burned pork. "Aiyah, I thought I had that _thing_ down by now…"

"Had what down? Oh, and is it the same dream still?" Leon asked.

"Uh, nothing." Yao put the bad side of the meat in an unused part of his lunchbox. "Yeah, it's the same." _Same mountain, same lake, same dragon…I'm sure the words haven't changed either._

Im Yong So then clapped his hands. "Well? If you remember more, tell us!" The other made an uncertain sound. He relented when Im Yong So began to give him the Look of Puppies.

"Fine." He grumbled.

_Chipped, pricked gravel stone bit into his feet as Yao made his way down the familiar path which was neighbor to a row of tall grass, then a murky, soupy brook. An opal fog around Yao kept most of his destination hidden from him and the light above was too obscured by the condensation. Yao's legs wound in and out of reality when he moved. The teen quickly figured out, like many times before, that he was dreaming. This didn't change anything though as Yao tried to move his limbs and found he possessed no control of his body. _

_Soon he was taking the stairs up the ashen mountain, away from the forest. Step by step both shrubbery and wind relieved his presence as the mist drew back to earth; a thunderstorm flew on high at the peaks of the hilltop but dared not breathe a rumble. Clouds hung around their father uneasily. _

_Yao experienced a sort of peace among the smooth ebony stone and sooty glaze however, his feet felt wonderfully warm against the coal. The fiery veins running towards the top of the cliff failed to cause alarm in the senior. Their glowing surfaces reminded him of the old lanterns his father used to light on New Year's. As he got sunburns easily, Yao didn't mind the lack of sunlight either._

_The feeling of comfort faded as he passed through the final marble gate; ahead of him lay a great clearing overshadowed by an encircling wall. Flashes of past encounters rushed around the senior's head: Great eyes, limestone teeth, and breath like iron and fury. The scales glistened silver snow and its claws ripped out the earth below its feet. _

_Yeah, that was the dragon all right, and Yao was heading straight towards it. The creature's ears perked up and the beast bellowed out a growl. To his horror, the teenager's body did not stop advancing until he stood about ten feet away. _

"_Who are you?" Yao's voice echoed around the enclosed space. Immediately he regretted not trying to stop his mouth sooner, as the giant lizard went up on all fours. Bone-white and spear shaped pupils opened to glare at the boy. However, it merely snorted._

"_Insolent child. I am the one whom you have chosen to come too." __**She**__ answered leaning back onto her hind legs. Yao blinked in confusion at the candid tone. "Um, what does that mean?" Rain forest irises stared back at him silently. _

"_Your wish, of course." _

"_I have no recollection of that."_

_The dragon let out a sigh. "Goodness. I wish this traveling spell didn't erase so much of your memory, I hate having to keep answering this. Oh well, soon it won't be a problem." Yao seemed to accept this even though he didn't, as his head just nodded. The mighty beast before him gestured to a stone strangely shaped like a chair. _

"_Sit. I will explain what I can." The senior did as he was told. "Good. Now, you should remember this conversation, as it's almost time to take on your duty. "_

Yao paused for a moment to a surprisingly silent table.

"-And? What happened?" Im Yong So sat dangerously close to the edge of his seat. Mei-mei and Leon had decided to listen in again on Yao's weird tale. Said man scanned all of their faces and let out a breath.

"Nothing. I woke up." He grimaced as a chorus of groans met his ears.

"What?!"

"No way!"

"Yaaoooo, you were close to actually figuring this thing out! You can't just _wake up_ when you feel like it!"

Yao stared at Mei-mei. "What?" She blinked. He just shook his head.

"Why does it matter? It's just a silly dream anyways." Leon rolled his eyes and resumed eating.

"Riiiight, like you aren't the most superstitious of us all. Well, that's further than you've ever gotten before." Im Yong So remarked and grabbed his tray, stood, and left the table to go throw away his leftovers. Yao just glared.

"Look, let's just drop it, okay?" The twins giggled and all three followed Im Yong So's suit and left for the art shops.

Yao trailed behind the others while checking his notes for Economics. He silently thanked whatever god up there that his siblings let the discussion go- or maybe it wasn't such a great thing. Well, at least now the eldest child didn't have to worry about them doing any investigative 'work' on him. The last thing Yao needed was to accidentally burn one of them in surprise. Unfortunately Im Yong So and Leon, the pranksters of the family, made that quite difficult.

Above him the lights flickered for a second, then settled. Yao hummed. _I should get a fundraiser together to fix those bulbs_. He made a note in his journal. Distracted, he ended up crashing straight into another person. "Ah! Oh, I'm terribly sorry-"Yao rubbed his head and looked up, only to stop dead in his sentence.

"No, no, it's perfectly fine-oh, Yao. Hello." Kiku, his slightly younger brother, addressed dusting off his shirt, "I, uh, hope nothing is harmed?" It took the other a second to respond.

"No, I'm…fine. Thank you." Before Kiku could get another word in Yao scrambled for his fallen books and rushed past him. "Sorry! I have to get to class." He didn't hear his brother's answer as the older he hurried down the hall. _Smooth, Yao, real smooth._

"_Duty?" The human inquired, one leg resting on top of the rock and the other on the ground, "What does this have to do with my wish?" _

_The dragon rumbled at the back of her throat._

"_What is it you want most, Wang Yao?" She fired back at the teenager. "Isn't there a reason you came up here?"_

_Yao began nervously, "Well yes, I wanted to know why I've been having these strange dreams lately. And, why I suddenly have the ability to manipulate fire-"The creature shook its head._

"_Those are inquires, not requests. Your wish is why you're here in this position in the first place."_

_Yao felt a bit stressed. "But what did I wish for?" He stood. "Surely you recall my first venture here, dragon?" The lizard growled at the name. "Sorry."_

"_I have no idea. Once you become who you're meant to be, you will remember. Until then, don't hesitate to call for element assistance. God knows you boys will need it." At these words the sky began turning dark, the black crept in from the entrance of the clearing. Something pulled at Yao from above, something shrill and loud. _

_Oh, he was waking up. Dammit. He'll end up forgetting everything again. Then, the dragon's words caught up to him._

"_Wait," he began, but the beast was already beginning to fade, "what do you mean by 'you boys?!"_

_Nothing spoke for a moment and Yao frowned. Then, something in cold ebony: it might've been his imagination, but Yao could've sworn he heard laughter. _

"_Indeed. What do I mean?" She sang._

Tuesday morning, 9:23 a.m

_My record is not worth this_. If he gets sludge in his socks one more time Arthur will steal a car and drive back to the city. He won't think twice, it's not the first time he's done it- well, publically. Privately he took his uncle's car all the time on the property. But that doesn't matter, because the rain is pelting hard on all of the advanced marine biology class, it's windy as hell, and this teen is on all levels of done. Though, perhaps not as bad as Francis, who learned they were going out to the wetlands and decided to play hooky for two hours. Whatever.

Arthur Kirkland readjusted his hood for the fifteenth time that morning and checked the sky once more. Darting his vision around, Arthur watches the rain sprinkle for a bit before lifting his hand into the falling drops. After a few seconds he swore. Again. It's happening again. He brought down the hand.

"Damn it all." He mutters. Kiku, who is right beside him raises an eyebrow but Arthur just shakes his head. Well, this certainly explains why he couldn't get a shower this morning. Their tour guide motions for the group to move forward, talking about sort of bird that lived in the area, Arthur guesses. His star-skull boots trudged through long grass and murky water.

Or, they would, if the H2O actually touched him. As a precaution Arthur took care not to step directly into a puddle, lest everyone see the liquid completely jump out of his way or around. If it didn't shift, the water would hold him up, which was equally bad; Arthur situated himself at the back of the line, out of site from the class. Of course, that's when Kiku just had to follow him.

The quiet man was probably concerned about Arthur's insolence. Last time he got this way he had dented Alfred's car something fierce. Both got into such a bad scrap Alfred's mother refused to let them in until they A) apologized to each other and B) fixed the dent. As predicted the two hadn't made up immediately, so they spent the night at their friend's houses. Arthur stayed with Kiku, Alfred stayed with Toris.

_I should probably reassure him._ "Hey Kiku?" Arthur spoke flexing his hand.

"Yes?" He inquired and put away the manga he was reading, Arthur almost scoffed in amusement. He cleared his throat instead.

"I, uh, I'm not in a terrible mood. So, you know, don't call Alfred to get me please." This didn't seem to quell any fears however, if anything, Kiku looked more alarmed.

"Why? Are you two fighting again? What did you break this time?" He asked hurriedly. Arthur shushed him before the teachers heard his uneasy voice.

"Nothing! We didn't break-wait no, we weren't fighting in the first place."

Kiku frowned. "Then, what is the matter? I admit, I fail with emotional issues, but I still can listen Arthur." The teen flinched at the hurt undertones and conceded.

"I know, but really, I'm fine. I suppose I'm a bit stressed right now with the upcoming concert." It wasn't _completely_ false, the guitarist had been pretty bitter about the event. _Hopefully Kiku's perception skills dwindle in the rain._ The discreet brunette scanned him for a good minute and nodded. He offered a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Would you like to come over later? We have some new kinds of tea you can try." Arthur chuckled.

"Thank you," A puddle then slipped completely from under him as they walked, "I may take you up on that offer." The other gives a reserved smile before turning to the discussion ahead of them. Arthur watches Kiku for a moment to make sure he is actually paying attention, then he goes back to his musings.

_I wonder if this stupid event is thanks to my previous attempts at black magic. But then, I should be ecstatic right now, not annoyed. Then again I wasn't shooting for element control._ Far from it, Arthur had been trying to curse someone to smell like goats for a week. Hardly a call for the ability to move liquid, or to avoid it. When another pond escaped his sole's shadow, Arthur suddenly stopped walking. Hold on: He couldn't take a shower right now, no liquid or soap would touch him. Technically this problem started on Sunday, a week after he tried that spell. It was also quite obvious that the person he intended (Alfred) to curse wasn't suffering from anything.

Arthur felt a headache coming on.

_Oh hell, did I really jinx myself?_ He hit his face with a palm and groaned. Terrific. No way in Christ's house was he going to be allowed in the band's garage now; Matthias would bolt the door shut before he made it to the stairs. Argh, this couldn't be happening-he needed to practice, dammit! The concert is on _Saturday_.

"I am never getting advice from that witch's shop ever again." Arthur mumbled into his hand. He straightened up and was about to jog to the class when something moved in the grass, then coughed.

The teen yelped and fell back onto perfectly dry soil. "W-who's there?" _Nice, Arthur, way to direct the killer straight to you. _Alfred's voice lectured._ Shut it, Al. _The rustling continued and Arthur nearly shrieked when-

-a small child fell out of the bushes and onto his leg, giggling. The little curly, blond boy unfolded from his ball position and stared, upside down, at the man. Neither said a word for a good five minutes. Then said kid grinned brightly and waved.

"HI! Who are you, what are you doing here? My name's Coren. Are you okay? You landed in a puddle. Oh but you're dry." Arthur seemed to snap back into reality at that last comment.

"Uh," _think of something you git_, "I missed it. Wait, me? My name is Arthur Kirkland. Why are _you_ here? Where the hel-heck are your parents?" His think eyebrows furrowed as he got up. "You shouldn't be out here alo-"

The child only pouted and crossed his arms. "Hey, you didn't answer my question! I go first! Are you the fairy-man Mana was talking about?" He questioned impatiently. The teenager stumbled on his words. _Who the hell does this kid think he is_? _He sounds like Peter!_ The nice stranger-phase wore off and was replaced with 'big brother' mode.

Arthur shook his head. "Hey, no. I'm asking the questions here. Why are you out here in the wetlands? Come on, we've got to tell the tour guide you're here-"As he reached for Coren however, the younger just laughed and jumped out of his reach and into a nearby tree. "I like this game!" He exulted. Arthur's eye twitched. "You didn't answer my other question, so I'm staying up here until you do!"

The blond man just blinked. "What?" Coren rolled his eyes.

"Are. You. The. Fairy. Man. You know, wings in the back? The water moves away from you so you have to be!" Arthur winced. _So he did see that. Not good. _The kid still hadn't answered why he was here in the first place-maybe he was acting? Was there someone else nearby that's making him do this? Or perhaps it was just a silly game gone wild. If so, Arthur will have to play along in order to get Coren to come down. The teen looked up at the kid again, warily.

"…If I said yes, will you come with me to the office?" He ventured prudently.

Coren beamed and nodded. "Promise?" Arthur asked.

"Yes! So, are you?!"

"…Yeah, that was me. I'm the fairy-man. Now, would you _please_ come down from there?"

Hand-in-hand, Coren and Arthur began to catch up to the senior's class. The pale-skinned child seemed to be on cloud nine on learning about Arthur, though he refused to tell why. Arthur still possessed suspicions about a kidnapper nearby, and he kept a hand close to his pocket-knife. As the minutes ticked by however, he soon relinquished those thoughts. He focused on another issue.

"Hey kid-"Arthur was cut off, "My name is Coren!""-_sorry_. Coren, before we go into the office, you need to know something." He stopped the both of them and kneeled down to said child's height. "You cannot tell those people what I did, alright? I mean it. They aren't really…accepting of the fairy people, you know? I'm entrusting this secret to you, now, instead of taking it back." The boy's eyes were close to dinner plates; he started bouncing up and down.

"Really?! You'd trust me?" Arthur nodded, a small smile on his face. _I have to. Otherwise I'll be flying back to England before the days out._ "Wow. Okay, I won't let you down, Sir Kirkland." Coren said in a Very Serious Voice and Arthur almost fell over in snickers. Not in mocking, though. The kid really did remind him of Peter. He stood his full height with a half concealed smile and turned to open the door into the building.

"Good. Let's go."

_Tuesday morning, 6:50 a.m._

Curtains waltzed together as dewy breezes swept through Jones' cerulean and maroon room. Beams of light flew down to a chrome-colored carpet layered with Alfred's faded car rug and sunny orange reflected off the two basketballs that had made their home here. Nothing stirred. 'Sleeping beauty' laid unperturbed to the world though his phone kept ringing every five minutes and his mother was currently hitting the kitchen ceiling, his floor, with the home's best saucepan.

"ALFRED, YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE." Amelia Jones hollered through the dry-wall and flooring. "GET. UP." Alfred muttered something in his sleep, frowned, and turned over. He wasn't ready to get up dammit. It was prom night and he, instead of Francis, had finally been crowned Prom King. _Not_ Homecoming. There were girls flocking to his arms, hamburgers were falling out of the sky, and for some weird reason Arthur smelled like goats and was being avoided. Oh, and Braginski was tangled in multiple wires and tripping all over the place. It was great.

That is until Arthur came in and flung the covers off the other, grabbed the sheets, and quite literally heaved Alfred out of bed. The golden boy sprang up with a yelp as his back hit the mat and the teenager threw arms out to balance himself. When the blond settled he glared at his smirking cousin across the room.

"Hell hound." He grumbled with squinted eyes and Arthur rolled his own.

"Hey, I don't sound like one when sleeping." With that he strutted out of the dwelling to where Peter was attempting not to fall over laughing; He choked and hastily followed his brother when Alfred's steel gaze flashed at him. He sighed when they were gone and reached behind him for his glasses, named Texas. Fitting them quickly, he picked up his phone and clothes, and headed for the bathroom with a yawn. _Whatever, I'll just nap in Economics anyway._'


	2. AUTHORS NOTE PLEASE READ

Hey everyone! Just a few words of explanation on my part, if you don't mind to lend an ear/eye? I know you all don't like author's notes that take up a chapter spot, but this is truly where I want your attention before you start reading Chapter 1. There's some details that some of you probably want clarification on.

First off, this actually started out as a manuscript for a comic- so visual imagery will take up most of the descriptions. Whether I actually draw this comic hinders on how much time I have versus enthusiasm. Your comments and critique are more than welcome- I know I'm going to get a few details wrong, there's no avoiding that.

So, this is where the actual story starts up- I can guarantee the action will be coming together in the next two chapters or so. I wish I could get to the actual "Guardians, Unite" thing at a quicker pace, but unfortunately this story takes a bit of world-building. I plan to make this as stand-alone as physically possible, so that both fandoms, with little knowledge of each other can still enjoy the story; however, in order to do this, I've got to write out explanation after explanation. Like digressions.

APH is actually the easier of the two- all I need is the character relationships and personalities, and maybe a bit of cultural background. Otherwise? I'm literally just writing about five guys who have been given the power to be Guardians. That's it. W.I.T.C.H? A whole other ball-game, and this is with the TV show, not the comics- I apologize profusely for using the comic's tag but unfortunately there is no "WITCH – TV series" category to put this story in.

I'll cut to the chase- this place here is to give basic knowledge to the reader- no spoilers, of course, but some quick notes:

**For APH fans with no knowledge of WITCH:**

**Kandrakar**: The dimension-world that resides and watches over all other worlds in the universe. The oracle is in charge of the council hear and can foresee events/predict the future. He/she is very powerful and influential.

**Meridian**: A dimension/world previously used in the TV series that is closely linked with Earth and Kandrakar. Queen Elyon, the ruler of Meridian, was saved by the WITCH guardians. Think medieval-time with this world.

**Zambala**: Dimension/world is a purple planet with Tree-like beings as inhabitants. They had a Guardian as their queen once.

**Portals**: Gate-ways to other dimensions or worlds. One of the Guardian's duties are to close these portals when they pop up.

**ORIGINAL CONCEPT**

**Bridges**: Mystic "landmarks" that connect the worlds together and make traveling between them possible. If these break-down, not even the portals can function.

For WITCH Comic fans with little knowledge of the show:

The _end_ of the WITCH saga in this story happens right after the defeat of Narissa. I'll explain more when it comes time for you-know-who to make an appearance.

Alright, I think that's all I can explain at the moment. Feel free to ask any questions or clarifications, I know this is a bit of a jumble to take in, so bear with me please ^^ Now, on to the show…


	3. Arc One - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Brand New Start

Iron vibrations radiate over the marble floors as the guards cross the main courtyard. Ahead of them walks a man draped with ivory and jade, his golden hair flowed freely 'sides one small braid tucked behind an ear. The argent breastplate on his figure glared with sunlight as he moved. When they reached the far side of the area he motioned for his men to open the doors; he strode into the great establishment- a pearl draped, cathedral. The group went halfway before stopping to bow to a collection of people sitting at the altar's table. One of them clad in white and red robes stood from the middle of the gathering.

"Fortune to the Oracle, Romulus." The leader of the guards hailed kneeling even lower.

"And to you as well, Commander Beilschimidt." The oracle nodded. There is a moment's pause before he gave the solider a grin. "So formal, Dahlgren! You know I hate such bureaucracies."

Dahlgren sighed and rises, he gestures for one of the men holding a narrow case to walk forward. "It is tradition, my lord, to preserve the past else we'll loss our ties with history. I come baring news of Meridian." Whispers and murmurs commence at his words but hush when the oracle resumes his seat at the massive table and signals for the other to continue. Dahlgren walks further towards the table and opens the case to reveal a tropic-blue map, sets it down, and opens it in front of the assembly.

Dahlgren starts. "Luckily, the bridges between Meridian and Kandrakar, that we've managed to take back from the _Atteros_, retain a certain degree of usage; if we continue to hold off the winged menaces we may be able to fully mend them. This will allow us mobility and strategic advantage over the militia, Amethyst. When the next portal opens, I'll take my men and re-enforce the platoons already stationed at Bridge Themus, the closest to being finished."

"From there we'll divide the men up equally for the other bridges. Queen Eylon plans to aid in the reconstruction herself. When Meridian and Kandrakar's communications and supply line is running again, we can focus on Earth." At the mention of the world, Romulus sits up a little straighter. "We may be able to set up Earth's communications by the end of next month if we have the combined forces of Meridian and Kandrakar working to repair all the bridges. That is all, my lord. The portal to Meridian is predicted to leave in five sunset's time, unfortunately. My men and I will stay in the mead hall across from the stables-"

"Nonsense! Your men shall stay in my castle." The oracle states and Dahlgren stumbles on his speech. "Oh, don't looked surprised, Dahlgren, you know that ancient thing is falling to pieces."

"Sir, there is not enough roo -"Sadiq Adnen began not-too-subtly sneering at the Germanic but Romulus holds up his hand.

"That's an order. Now, I think this is splendid news Commander- we should celebrate. Kapusi, if you shall round up everyone? Sadiq, your world's drinks are fantastic for parties, be sure to have the caterers here by the evening! Come, Dahlgren- I'm eager to hear of your recent adventures." Romulus chortles and stands again, he goes over to the blond solider and slaps him on the back before guiding them to one of the side doors. The rest of the councilmen begin filing out of the hall at the oracle's spontaneous exit. Meanwhile, Dahlgren's troops blink and look at each other.

Exactly where were they supposed to go now?

The pair of leaders' walk to the far-end balcony and Romulus steps away from Dahlgren to lean on it. A slight breeze batters their ornamented cloaks as silence settles over them. The sky-eyed commander comes to stand next to his lord with hands at his sides.

"You didn't come all this way just to report an update, have you Dahlgren?" the blonde's shoulders stiffen.

"You haven't heard from them, then?" The oracle's voice barely moved over the wind, his back bent over the rail. His gaze remained on the horizon of the endless clouds as he addressed his long-time friend. Dahlgren resisted the urge to drag his hand through his hair and sighed instead.

"For ninety-six nights they've been locked behind the protective barrier. Axuil, the bridge we used for letters and information exclusively between Meridian and Earth, was taken just before they reached it. The last message I received from Ludwig reported a rise in _Atteros_ activity around their area-"

"Reinforcements?"

"It seems so." Dahlgren nodded and Romulus cursed. "Nothing extravagant, thankfully. I don't believe they've found Feliciano or Romano yet. If they did my sons would've already moved them."

Romulus hummed absently. He watched a flock of birds soar overhead into a slowing descending sun and straightened. The leader of Kandrakar glanced to Dahlgren and motioned for him to follow as he left the balcony. Romulus guided them back inside but doesn't enter the cathedral; instead, he goes down a hallway just to the right of the doors.

They both halt at a pair of huge, pearl-colored wooden doors. Unlike the others, these ones were decorated with numerous symbols with chains wrapping around the handles.

"Has any sort of reinforcement from our side come to help them?" Dahlgren blinks at the sudden question.

"No, my lord. The portals are not yet stable enough to send anyone through them-"

"That's not what I mean." With that comment, the oracle places a hand on the chains and mumbles something under his breath. The painted runes flash aqua before iron bands let go of the doorknobs and the entrances swing open. Ahead is a scarcely lit room. Dahlgren's eyebrows shot up yet the rest of his expression remained solemn.

"The Aurameres? My lord, we haven't heard anything from the Guardians in years." The doors closed behind them as they stepped towards the floating orbs. Romulus nodded.

"It may be time for a new set of guardians, Dahlgren. We can't afford to send any more men to aid Ludwig and the others without rising suspicion from Amethyst; My grandson's life depends on every move we make."

Dahlgren silently agreed, though his expression became more dismal. Romulus was right- sending in one world's troops into another lead to many complications. At least the boys have had time to adjust to Earth's lifestyle, they've been there for four years. The soldiers? It was almost comical to imagine the medieval knights try and figure out public transport. Gods, even the commander didn't get half the contraptions Gilbert referenced in his letters. However…

"We cannot send Kandrakar's might to fuel any new guardians, Romulus, you know this." He stated. "The bridges connecting this world and Earth's are almost completely demolished or in enemy hands. If we attempt to send the Auramere's strength to the Heart-"

"We run the risk of losing Kandrakar's might altogether. Yes, Dahlgren, I know. But we can't very well stand here and 'twiddle our thumbs', as Romano would say, until Meridian and Kandrakar are reconnected with each other. I am sorry Dahlgren, but two months isn't fast enough. The boys may move to another spot and lose connection with us altogether."

Both oracle and commander did not acknowledge the other possible consequence. Dahlgren growled in frustration. He needed something to drink- particularly something strong.

"Then, there is nothing we can do as of now." He bit out holding back the urge to knock one of the useless mystical spheres off the platform. What good were they when his sons were fighting for theirs, their charges' lives and the fate of the universe? Despite the dreariness of the situation though, Romulus's expression reflected a different mood. The oracle turned away from the light and Dahlgren nearly missed his answer.

"Perhaps. Then again, I never said '_we'_ would help them, did I?"

Earth – Tuesday, September 15th, 2103

"'African drug lord toppled by revolution', 'World hunger nearing its end', 'United Nations announces its 50th year anniversary of continuous cease-fire'. It's unfathomable, guys, how fast this is happening! There's no way to explain such good fortune- it's almost criminal." Eduand gasps as he reads the newest issue of _World_ during the school's newspaper club's session.

"Oh, the irony of that statement." Romano mumbles into his palm. Feliks, the secretary of the club, snickers and just pats the stunned man while Francis and Feliciano look up from their discussions. The former smirks and leans back to stretch.

"But Eduard, is that not a _good_ thing? Let's not be ungrateful, hmm~" Eduard merely scoffs and puts down the article.

"I'm not being ungrateful. It's just, you know, suspicious." For some reason Francis seems to pause at these words and Feliciano actually sits up more.

"Ve, why do you say that, Eduard?" Feliciano asks curiously as Romano grabs his shake and takes a sip. Eduard's scowl deepens in thought and he moves to answer when Feliks cuts him off.

"Is this a reference to your girlfriend or something? Like, how she gave you a bunch of flowers and chocolates and then dumped your ass the next day?" Romano spat out his drink and Francis boomed with laughter- Feliciano looked horrified. The blonde in question sputters and went red; he automatically pushed up his glasses and moves away from Feliks.

"Of course not! That has absolutely _nothing_ to do with it-"

"What has nothing to do with what?" Alfred "Golden Boy" Jones interrupts suddenly as he saunters into the mostly-empty classroom. Francis and the others regard him with curiosity and mirth while Eduard waves his hands wildly.

"None of your business Jones-!"

"Whoa man- okay, okay! Jeez, I was just wonderin'." The teen slings an arm around the frantic man's shoulders with a grin. "Anything that's got you in a bind is usually worth talking about, haha!"

"Or dreadfully boring," Francis mutters before addressing the new arrival loudly. "So, do what pleasure do we owe to the football star today? Surely you have enough photos of yourself ordered for the entire city ." Alfred's face gains a look of contemplation. Then he shakes his head.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure I'm not done with that order yet," Francis's eye twitches, "I'm actually here to ask you all a favor from the team." The assembly before him blinks but Alfred just continues. "I need a photo-shoot in the gym ready before 10:00 tomorrow, exactly."

Francis, the president of the club, immediately stood up as well as Feliks and Romano.

"What?! Jones you can't be serious-"

"That's way too short notice!"

"Bastard, we've got _classes_-"

"Hey," Alfred held up his hands, "not my fault- well, ish. Any who, I won't take no for an answer! Besides, you'll see how awesome it'll be." With that, the football star waves off the angry reporters slash photographers and exits the room. Eduard shook his head and sighed while Romano grumbled. Feliciano casted his brother a worried look before exclaiming an 'oh!'

"By the way Francis-eeep!" he hide behind his binder as the man turned to him, "d-don't forget you have that interview with the Green Coffee Shop's owner." Francis deflates at the reminder and sighs.

"Oh yeah, that. What was his name again?"

"Ummm…I think it was 'Mr. Henley'?"

"Henley. Right." The lights above everyone flicker for a second before resuming their nature state.

"_We will __**make**__ a brand new start,_

_From the pieces torn apart,_

_The break of day is before-"_

"_-Us!" _Alfred sways his head back and forth as he hums to his favorite song. Grinning, the teenager reaches over and turns the music up as he enters onto the central road of the city. The sky lit up in shades of fire in front of him, the sun appearing to be inches from the horizon; already the shaft of light was being consumed by the darker mantle of nightfall.

"_Cast your sorrows to the wind_

_Let the highway take us in_

_As we escape the disorder!"_

Jeeps, mini-vans, and other cars around him reflected nothing but silver and gold, streaks coming from blackness. However Alfred paid little heed to any of that. He yawned absently and looked at the clock.

_6:07 p.m. _

Damn, basketball practice always took up so much of his time. Luckily, this year he only had two important classes to take, so the workload was manageable. Unfortunately this meant there were little to no excuses for missing practice. Alfred sighed and switched the channel with a flick of a finger as he turned onto another street.

"-_EEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRKKKKK_" The teen jumps and cursed as he nearly runs off the road. His interior lights above pop in and out and Alfred's wipers spring to life as his headlights dim, then brighten. The dashboard flashes his mph and the clock's numbers _6:11 p.m._ The radio wails for a moment more before the teen snaps his fingers effectively turning it off. Everything goes back to normal a few seconds later. The boy resists the urge to punch the malfunction out of the car.

"Mary and Joseph." Alfred swears again nursing his right ear. The inside of the vehicle retains a level of silence as the teen recovers his driving. Good going idiot. That's what he got for trying to use his freakiness outside of the house. At least at home the television just wavered briefly when he used his powers to change channels. It didn't scream at him. At least he didn't stall the car this time.

He inhaled slowly and focused on the road again. Alfred glanced at the time once more as he pulled up at an intersection. 6.13 p.m. He hoped the newspaper club would be able to help them set up in the morning -especially with the decorations. Francis was good at stuff like that, right? Arthur won't be too thrilled at the assistance but they had no time to waste.

He grimaced as his Mustang rolled up to an intersection. _Hopefully everyone won't get pissed off at each other tomorrow._ He missed the lights above him flash momentarily before the blaring _Stop_ changed to a lime _Go_. A car behind Alfred beeped impatiently making him jerk and he drove forward-

-then promptly got tossed like a ragdoll by a pick-up truck, hard. Wheels run against the road like erasers against a wooden desk, horrible traction. _Hit_. Metal roars and ghostly reaches in and shatters Alfred's eardrums with its rattling; the door knob cuts into his abdomen as if it's a slice of red cake. His tolerance for pain overrides. _Crash_. Speaking of his head, something pools at the side of it and spills down his shoulder and the seat belt breaks sending his form across the gear shift. _Bang_. Events spin and spin until the thing once known as a car comes to a brittle, fragile halt. It's new, forced boomerang shape glints in the glorified sun's light as something close to a five year-old's work; the child's ragdoll lies face down in the passenger seat though. _Smash_.

As Alfred recounts: everything happens and then nothing at all. Arthur flash-floods through his mind, among other faces. Mom. Peter. Kiku. Toris. Francis. Gilbert. All looked disappointed. What happened again?

Alfred's form was pressed up against the passenger door- no, lying down on it. Oh, his car was on its side. Huh. The teen surmises he won't be coming to school tomorrow. Vision flickers as shadows from all corners begin to descent on his sight.

However, before the teen can lose consciousness fully, he hears muffled shouts from the left of his once-vehicle.

"Help! Help, oh please- my husband- in the truck-he's not breathing!"

"Miss, please you need to calm down." Another voice joined the first, probably another driver. The teen slowly comes to consciousness again. What? What was this about the other…? Surely no one would die from this-

"B-but he can't leave us! We have a set of twins- we can't be separated." The frantic woman sobbed and, he assumes, fell to the ground.

A snarl rumbled deep within Alfred's wounded stomach; the teen hissed as one glass-sprinkled arm forced itself under his form. _Where is he? _He slowly inched his aching being into a position to look out the broken windshield. Shattered glasses give him a cracked scene; the wife of the husband had a waterfall of gold running down her shoulders as her blouse shook with laments. Emergency personal were laying someone out on the ground; medical equipment gathered around in a circle, a ritual-like sphere.

Something cold and ugly seized Alfred's heart then. A twisting, grotesque sensation that nearly had the boy doubling over in hacks to get rid of the delusional infection- Guilt.Its claws dug into his mindscape and tore out any reasonable thought of well-being the teen possessed.

_No, I can't be the reason for this-_

"Please, someone- anyone!"

_This isn't happening. I'm dead already-_

"_Clear_...It's no use. He's-"

"Don't you _dare_." Alfred hisses under his breath and rises his hand. Instantly he felts a prick of static gathering in his palm and the thrum tickles his bones, lungs but hovers over his heart precariously. _That equipment is useless: get away from him._ For some reason, and Alfred would remain puzzled about this until everything is made clear later, the medics suddenly step away from the body. Even the woman remains where she had fallen.

There is a beat. Then the teenager fires the bolt of electricity from his body over to the husband's; the trucks headlights, the street lamps above, everything shatters and breaks as the current moves past them. Car alarms blare, sirens scream, all the works but Alfred is focused on only one task right now. The vibration hits the other driver forcefully, demanding _you will live_. Alfred's power quickly re-starts the heart, seals up any wounds, and takes out the metal; he goes so far as to fix-up the cuts on the man's face.

Suddenly however, Alfred's body tenses and he hollers in agony as the feedback of the current hits _his_ heart head-on. His person shakes in shock before Alfred collapses against the door. Right before his eyes give up he sees someone in the distance coming towards him; her hair flowed like the bright spring afternoon, her dress a deep evergreen. The teen's mind then shuts down. The 'operation' disengages. Like before with the radio, every appliance with an electrical current goes back to normal and the citizens around the sight regain awareness.

Paramedics find Alfred a short while later. They proclaim his condition critical and rush his tattered body to the hospital.


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – A Gift for You

It's bland, overly pure, misleading, and stains easily; you can clearly define anything leaning up against it and be blinded by the light reflected off its side. Every nook and cranny could be seen from all points in the room. Arthur grumbled with his fingers pressed against his mouth.

He hated the color white.

A nurse came by and asked if there was anything she could do for Arthur. He just shook his head and continued to watch the doors marked "ER" in front of him.

His nose clouded with so many chemicals Alfred wondered if he had been shipped off to a laboratory for testing after the accident. If so, maybe someone could figure out why he was a living magnet…or, possibly, a dead one. For all Alfred knew he was just a ghost still encaged in his body now. Would Alfred's folks get money for his contribution to science? Wait, what if they're taken in for questioning by agency or something if they found anything? Dude, he would so come back to life if that happened. Oh god, he hoped the scientists weren't using needles on him. _I'll jump out the nearest window._

Those previous assumptions of fatality are dispersed when Alfred tries to move. His hands felt like someone injected insulation foam into them, his heart stuttered like an engine turn-over. The lower sections of his body erupted in fury from being disturbed and the teen gasps out, chokes on the taste of metallic life. Okay, okay, he was alive. Fantastic, where the hell was he?

Alfred's first three attempts at opening his eyes don't go so well; he is immediately blind-sighted by whatever light above him hung. Alfred's pupils adjust eventually, headache aside and the teen's sight flickers briefly before he finally decides to get up.

_Okay, Al, you can do this._ Just take it one limb at a time. His left elbow dug into the bed-platform below him and helped elevate one side: repeat with the right elbow. Minutes ticked by in anguish until Alfred finally steels himself and sits up entirely; his breathe pained and ragged but strong in the otherwise still room. _Dear God- I think I'm missing my midsection._ Alfred lazily checked inventory around him and found his glasses perched beside the bed on a metal table. He smiled slightly when the familiar frames are set on his nose again but raises an eyebrow.

There, on the counter, sat a necklace with a shining gem encased in four sides of teal glass; the cage is formed in a long, diamond shape and what looks like copper pieces tie the crystal down. Strangely, the stone inside seemed to hold a continuum of dancing opal and lapis swirls. Alfred checked to see if a card or something was left behind: and yes, there was one small piece of paper. He picked it up and squints at the cursive writing.

"_Get well soon_." Well, that was informative. He couldn't think of anyone he knew with this kind of jewelry, so who the hell was this? Maybe it's a joke from Elizaveta or Bella. Alfred picked up the trinket and examined it critically. No secret latches or buttons materialize, but he did have rivals, so it probably wasn't a good idea to wear this. He sets the necklace down again and it's then the teen finally noticed the clock on the wall.

8:58 p.m.

"At least Mom isn't here to scream at me…yet." He muttered. Alfred is startled out of his musings when a nurse came through the double-entry doors with a clipboard; however she doesn't notice Alfred as she comes to stand in front of his bed. The teen blinked.

"Um ma'am, where am I?"

The nurse's head shot up from her work, eyes wide. Nothing is said between the two for five seconds until she dropped the clipboard and ran out of the room. Alfred frowned.

"Well good morning to you too!"

"What the _hell_ do you mean you can't save him?" The petite doctor shrunk even further from Arthur's wrath. "You're a goddamn physician, it's your job."

"Arthur…" Amelia, attempting to keep her own grief at bay, placed her hand on said teenager but he shrugged her off. Arthur will raise Cain about this if he has to. Peter sat, for once, completely silent in the seat to the left of the teen; he hadn't said anything since they got the call. The doctor coughed and tried to stand a bit straighter.

"Please calm down, Mr. Kirkland. I know this is a tragic time for your family-"

"Really? I had no idea."

"Arthur,"

"-but I'm terribly sorry, there's nothing we can do now; the ambulance got here too late for us to fully stabilize his condition." He stated and braced himself for the flood to come. However, Arthur made no move, just stared at the floor in silent derision; Amelia meanwhile had tears streaming down her face though little noise escaped her unsteady lips. Peter's quiet sobs were the loudest thing in the room. Arthur cleared his throat willing to stay composed for a bit longer.

"So, his injuries were that bad." The doctor interrupted, his tone mix of mild surprise and perplexity.

"Actually, his wounds weren't nearly as bad as we expected. In fact, other than his abdomen, it doesn't appear as though his injuries were the cause of fatality. "At this everyone's heads shot up. Amelia and Arthur exchanged confused glances before the mother stepped forward and asked.

"What do you mean by that, exactly?"

The physician nodded and flipped a few pages in his folder, "Yes, it's quite strange. Most of the damage seems to have occurred in his respiratory systems, mostly his heart-"

Just then the doors behind them burst open to reveal an extremely disheveled nurse.

"Doctor Thomas!" she exclaims, "You're not going to believe this." Doctor Thomas merely sighed and tucked his folder under his arm as the Jones family behind him watched on.

"Lisa, what have I told you about hysterical entrances-"

"Sorry sir, but the patient- Alfred F. Jones- is _alive_." She gulped when dead silence answered her.

Alfred had ten minutes to himself before Doctor Thomas threw the doors open and strode towards his, now alive, patient. Alfred squeaked when the physician grabbed his shoulders, checks his pulse on his neck, grabs his wrist and does the same thing, his forehead, and remembers he has a stethoscope and presses the chestpiece to Alfred's torso. The doctor then stood his full height and ordered the nurse to report this to the department immediately while Alfred blinked in a daze.

Then, his mother ran into the room and Alfred's sure she's never looked so frantic and happy.

"Whoa, hey Mom what's up-_Shit_," Alfred hissed when Amelia rockets towards his bed and wraps the boy in a tight embrace. "Mom-_hurts_."

She released him at once. "S-sorry dear, I just-oh, thank God." She whispered hastily before wiping her tears away. "You have n-no idea how worried I was. Christ, I thought that was it." Alfred laughed lightly but stops.

"Wait. What do you mean by that?" He asked hesitantly. Amelia doesn't answer him instantly and he began to fully take in the area he was put in; the toughness of his bed, his plastic sheets, clear tables, blank cabinets, no curtains or windows…

"She means we thought you were dead, asshole." Arthur rumbled as he slowly walked up, Peter following him eagerly, to Alfred's bed. The teen's eyes had widened significantly before he finally glanced up at his cousin.

"You're not seri-whoa, Arthur, are you _crying_-"That was the last thing uttered before said fuming cousin punched Alfred.

Four examinations, eight confused medics, and three cups of coffee later had the Jones' family sitting in one of Doctor Thomas's patient rooms. Despite the forty-five minute hassle created by Alfred's revival, Peter and Alfred had gotten ice cream somehow and Amelia hummed casually while checking her phone. Arthur nursed the spot where Amelia had knocked him out for hitting her son, but he barely complained. The mood around them shone in such a light Doctor Thomas wondered how this evening was going to turn out.

At this, he stopped typing on his laptop and cleared his throat.

"Well Alfred, I don't know what to say. You've managed to stump every professional in this building, myself included. At this point you're injuries aren't that much of a concern- it's a real miracle. "Alfred seems content with this until he makes a sound at the back of his throat.

"Wait, the other driver-what happened to him?" He questioned, anxiously. Doctor Thomas blinked before chuckling.

"His name is John. Tossed around a bit to be sure, but he lives. It's amazing, the paramedics almost thought he wasn't going to live either." Alfred nodded and relaxed a bit in his bed. "So congratulations, neither of you will be charged with manslaughter." This got Alfred's attention and he groaned.

"That's right- my Mustang is completely trashed!" He put his head in his hands and Peter pat his back sympathetically. The group conversed briefly on other matters before deciding on how long Alfred should stay in the hospital; most of his other cuts were minor, but his abdomen still needed time to heal. Doctor Thomas insisted on three weeks minimum and wouldn't go any less than that. Alfred agreed, reluctantly. However, about fourteen days later he, amazingly, required no stitches for his injury and was released after a few more examinations.

There wasn't a court hearing or deputy knocking on his family's door either. Apparently, everyone at the intersection saw the light malfunction and came to both Alfred and the other driver-John-'s defense. They're given the option of pressing charges to the power-line company but both refuse; apparently there was no need for the money as someone had paid both their medical bills. All in all, the Jones family was glad everything turned out well.

From a safe distance, two figures sat together at a table and observed the boy. One of these bodies shuffled nervously and exhaled.

"Goodness my lady, I know you wanted to 'speed up' this choosing process but couldn't you have done it a bit more, you know, safer?"

"Are you doubting my ability…?"

"Of course not! I'm just saying- the elements are not exactly used to men wielding them. You know this."

"You forget, Helian, they're not powered by the Aurameres this time."

"No, no, just something far more _volatile_."

"Hmph, that's a new one."

_He's back again in the mountains, the humidity waffled around him like a mass of thick cotton: Yao took in a breath and noted hints of burning wood. His feet found his stone path and while he paced the sun began to set in the west; everything glistened in autumn flourish and bustling vitality as crickets spoke in their tongues. Yao felt a warmth in his chest, a certain power, but not his flame. _

_Somewhere in the distance he can hear somebody singing, though he couldn't distinguish the voice. The melody weaved patches of images in the sand and water. However, all shattered when a sour note hit Yao's ears. The rocks under his feet crackled- then suddenly he yelped as one jagged edge cut his foot. He halted his advance and inspected the damage in puzzlement. _

_Weird. That never happened before. He dropped his foot and began his trek again before hissing once more; this time a root had wrapped around and caught his ankle. Yao untangled the vine and realized the ground below him was turning black- not like the ashes, but pure ebony. The heat disappeared from under and inside himself and Yao shuddered as his dream's sun vanished behind the mountains. What was going on? It never became night here, and he should be at the dragon's lair by now._

_However, his path winded into nothing but obscurity and Yao noted something coming from the distance, from those hills. Multiple figures with shadowed bird-wings. They carried tall, arrowed spears and held what looked like helmets on their heads; loose robes draped their lower bodies but kept their torsos free of obstruction. _

_They were coming straight for Yao. Suddenly volcanic flames erupt from one of the mountains and his dragon's voice boomed into the night:_

"_**RUN**__, CHILD!" Yao falls down on the path-cutting his arm in the process. He scrambles up and away just in time to avoid getting crushed with one of the gigantic winged-men._

"_What the hell?!" He shouted as he back-flipped away. He turned and ran back into the nightfall, back from where he came. Nothing is distinguished and Yao has difficulty avoiding trees and ponds in his way: he dares not look behind him to see if they are following. The gusts of wind are enough. Then, like any other nightmare, Yao tripped and his body slammed into the ground ahead; he hissed as more cuts and bruises indented his skin. Yao tried to stand once more but it's too late- the dark sentinels are stood over him rising their spear. His eyes widen before they shut and Yao braced himself._

_A brilliant evergreen light then bathes him and the surroundings as something ahead shoots pure energy at the winged menaces. Two fall like black, stone towers barely missing Yao; he cried out as they hit the ground and gasped as more beasts came from the darkness._

_Then, the voice from earlier- the choir voice, called out to him; he was rattling off something, something important but Yao didn't have the patience. For some reason he found the strength to stand and looked directly into the opal beacon ahead of him, into the eyes of four other faces._

"_Just do it, dammit!" He called and paused. Do what? What was he-_

_The one who spoke first hesitated for a moment before raising an object high above their head. _

"_Guardians-"_

"YAAOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"AAHHHHHHHHHH!" Yao screamed in answer. He flung himself off his bed away from Im Yong So's crushing embrace and into the crimson rug below him. "Oof!"

He lay there for a moment trying to figure out what happened; when he did, a deep growl unleashed itself from Yao's breast and he pushed himself up. His younger brother was laughing at him and Yao's grimace worsened. Alright. That does it. Without a second thought his hand went behind his back and he snapped his fingers. There's a beat, and then Im Yong So notices his foot is on fire.

"_HOLY SHIT CALL AN AMBULANCE_." He screams as he ran back down to the living room. Yao smirked and snapped his fingers again and waited.

**SLAM**

"IM YONG SO, how dare you cause a false alarm like that, aru!" Chun-Yan, Yao's mother, hollered as Yao heard a yelp in terror.

"N-No I swear, this time it's true-"

Yao isn't an advocate for hounding or misuse of power. However, there was no wrong in getting a bit of payback, right? He hummed cheerfully as he went to the closet to pick out clothes for the day; when he was done he laid everything out on the bed. The t-shirt was a faded, light violet shade with nothing but a panda face on it; his jeans were every-day blue, and his maroon-checkered Converse matched a loose, stripped jacket of the same tone. After bringing out a pair of dark-grey armbands, Yao started getting ready for school.

Remnants of summer flew by him as he closed the door to his house. The sun was already in the skyline, and Yao listened to the disorderly choir of car horns and crowd-talking as he descended the stairs. His mind ran at a precision speed of exactly 62 mph, lists of duties arranging and re-arranging into solvable issues.

Of course, his dream was among one of them. It sounded quite silly, but his fire powers made it hard to not believe in strange occurrences as of late. His brain mapped out key points of the vision like a cash register:

What Exactly Happened Last Night

_The dragon wasn't there- in fact, she seemed to be trapped somewhere else._

_He had been chased by those flying man-bird-things._

_The four people behind him obviously knew him, one called out his name-_

His pondering abruptly ended as he turned the last corner towards the school; Yao literally dropped everything in his hands. His dream…and what the dragon said…

"_Aiyah_." Yao groaned and rubbed his forehead wearily.

It wasn't just him with these powers, was it? There were others, and by the feeling he had during that dream, there was a good chance he knew them in return. But, what was he supposed to do with this information? Yao scratched his head fussily, then picked up his backpack from where it lay and continued his trek. When he gets to the main building he sees the outside bulletin board with a new message.

'Welcome back, Alfred F. Jones!' Oh yeah that's right, the football star was coming back today. Yao grumbled and headed inside.

Brilliant.


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Frogs and Football

The mass of Hetalia High students cluttered the entrance to the school like bees awaiting their queen. Yao cracked a grin at the thought but scowled as he forced his way through the disorder and into the actual building. Goodness. _You'd think the coming of Christ was about to happen_. He brushed off invisible dust and headed towards his locker. Not surprisingly, it was already tacked with various sticky and remember-me notes; without bothering them Yao unlocked his closet and opened it, set his backpack on the floor so he could reach his books. _Alright, I have English first, so…_

He's getting the last of his things ready when the twins, Leon and Mei-mei, bound-and walk- towards him. Leon wore his usual bored expression, Mei-mei a bit more energetic.

"Morning, Gege.""Morning Old man." They greet simultaneously. Yao made an acknowledged noise as he stood fully and closed his locker.

"Are you all ready?" They nodded. "Alright, let's go get breakfa-"

"WHOO, THERE'S MY BOY RIGHT THERE!" Gilbert Beilschimidt, the football coach and Yao's classmate, hollered as Alfred and Arthur walked into the building. The former laughed while the latter glowered as most of the student-body packed around them. Yao almost felt sorry for Arthu-Kirkland, but they've never been on excellent terms, so he seldom cared. He winced as Alfred's very loud cackle crashed into everyone's ear drums as he retold, no doubt, his account of the popular car wreck.

"Does he even need a microphone at dances?" Leon asked while texting a message.

Yao watched with growing anxiety and frustration as the crowd moved away from the doors and into the hallway, all of them too caught up in Alfred's story to watch where they were going. He quickly dragged both his siblings out of the invaded space and headed towards the mess hall and scoffed.

"That boy? We need to give him mufflers in _class_- "

It's then Alfred's voice cuts off and the crowd hushed, even Kirkland's annoyed grumbling was lost to the wind. Yao blinked and turned back in puzzlement. His eyebrows rose when he saw the bitter look and tenseness in Alfred's face. Taunt shoulders, pupils narrowed, and a deep frown marrow his features as he gazed down the corridor.

That's when Yao heard it._ Thump. Thump. Thump_. The sound had been muted by students' voices, now it came over the area like a daunting gale. A war-drum ricocheting off the locker doors, floor, ceiling and all surfaces, achieving an echo reminiscent of auditoriums. Yao wondered if the school's walls were even capable of creating such a sound. The owner of the beat seemed not to care as he passed Yao and stood in front of Alfred's clique.

His light-tan scarf accented a dark navy jacket and complimented ashen hair, violet eyes. The muggy boots responsible for disturbing the peace sat under knee-torn, grey jeans. He stood with three feet of clear space on all sides; everyone had scooted away from him as soon as he appeared.

He and Alfred stared down each other for a solid minute. Then Alfred spoke.

"Well, I was wondering where the Prince of Discord was. Worried for my health, Braginski? Really, you didn't have to come all this way from your cave." He jeered. Ivan Braginski, the man Alfred addressed, scoffed.

"Do not flatter yourself, Jones. I merely came to see if that wreck knocked a few more brain cells into your skull." The smirk vanished from Alfred's face. "Alas, I was misled; it seems the Golden Boy is as dense as ever. Oh well." He smiled thinly as Alfred glared at him, Yao and his siblings watched the exchange with weariness.

"You son of a bi-"Ivan held up his hand.

"Oh, and you'll be glad to know I've won two games for our team while you were slumbering. That breaks our tie." He added with a bored tone. Smiling, Ivan turned and started to walk away and just as Yao thinks the confrontation is over, he heard Alfred begin to laugh.

"Of course you'd take that route-it's the only way for you to get ahead." Ivan halted at these words though he doesn't look behind him. "Don't worry, Braginski, I'll be back on the field by the end of this week!"

He, Ivan, merely threw back the time of practice over his shoulder before leaving the hallway; everyone unfroze when this happened and soon continued on with their day.

Yao breathed out, glad that there wouldn't be a brawl between the two. Today, at least. Just then the bell rang and he, Leon, and Mei-mei groaned.

Looks like they'd be skipping breakfast today.

_Damn those two_. Yao grimaced as he departed from the others and began towards English.

"Now, the Greek gods were quite human in nature, not at all like their Egyptian cousins. Many of them were quick fickle-"

_If I've got these powers, then someone else does as well._ Yao bit his lip and re-focused on the notepaper before him._ I need to forget that; it's just a stupid dream. _Next to him, someone's head- Antonio's, met the desk with a clunk and the whole classroom spurred to life. Mr. Welton gave him a stern reprimand for falling asleep and his other classmates, 'sanes Yao and two others, snickered.

"Ah, sorry sir. It won't happen again." Antonio cheerfully spoke nonetheless and yawned. Yao, however, doesn't seem to hear anyone but his own panicked thoughts.

_I knew them but I couldn't see their faces. I recognized that voice too, but I can't remember whose it is. What the hell do 'Guardians' refer to-?_

The instructor raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"Anyway, as I was saying. Each Olympic god had their own domain and roles they resided over. For instance, Zeus had his thunder, and he was king of the sky. Hephaestus was god of fire and the forge, and made weapons."

_How would I even find these people? Should I find them? If I have fire, then…_

"So, each one had their own element?" Yao's head abruptly shot up, eye wide. _Did I say that out loud?_ However, Mr. Welton wasn't looking at him. He paused for a moment and then nodded.

"Indeed, Mr. Bonnefoy. Everyone had certain powers over the Earth itself, as well as immortality. Zeus had lightening, Poseidon held water, Ares could create storms and hurricanes, and Dionysus and Demeter controlled the harvest, etcetera, etcetera. While the other gods had power to calm storms or tides, there was only so much influence they had over another's domain."

Yao took his mythology book and began to read the Olympic god's section again. It wasn't a great start, but at least it would give him an edge over this situation. More questions are asked about the subject and before he knows it, the bell rings.

Yao managed not to get run over by his classmates and walked over it to Mr. Welton's desk. The instructor took a moment to recognize Yao's presence and looked up. He smiled warmly and nodded.

"Greetings, Yao. Anything I can help you with?" Mr. Welton set his papers down. Yao offered a small smile in return and clears his throat.

"Actually, I have some questions concerning today's discussion…"

The hallway lights above flicker briefly, but instead of making a note to see the electrician, Yao marked the sighting in a new notebook. Peering to the left, he also took in the hair-line cracks dotting the windows. They'd been having water problems too. When he finished writing he turned and quickly jogged up the 1st floor stairs to Chemistry. Due to the talk with Mr. Welton, Yao was a little late to his class. He had a note, of course, but he disliked not being on time.

As he hits the last step, Yao recalled his conversation with the teacher.

"_Oh?" Mr. Helton asked and Yao shuffled one of his feet in mixed curiosity and anxiety._

"_Well, there seems to be a god for everything in the Greek world." Mr. Welton nodded, "What if you couldn't have that many and were limited to a select few?" _

"_If that was the case, I'd imagine most of them would be lumped together to be one deity. How restricted are we talking?" He blinked, puzzled. Yao handed him a piece of paper with five circles on it. "Goodness! That's certainly limited indeed. Well then, it would be the domains that take over most of the Earth." _

_He toke out a pen and wrote a word inside each orb. When Mr. Welton was done he handed it back to Yao. He read each one and nodded, then smiled and began to leave the classroom._

"_Thank you, Mr. Welton. This'll help a lot!"_

Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and some element called _Aether_, but Yao was pretty sure the fifth one had to do with light or energy. The flashing bulbs above him was evidence enough. Now, finding out who was doing it was an entirely different equation- he had no idea if that person could snap their fingers like him, or activate their abilities just by thinking about it.

Yao was four feet from the classroom door when he heard a _BAM_ inside the room and everyone yelling. His eyes widened and he quickly threw open the door-

-and barely managed not to get doused by a new water fountain in the sink.

_What_? He blinked just in case he wasn't imagining it and took in the sight of the class. Everyone, including the instructor and the…principal? Ms. Gren and Ms. Kim was soaking wet, the busted water pipe was currently flapping, like a fish, on the counter. Yao groaned_. Well, there went the computers and almost all the books._

"Yao!" He jerked at the teacher's voice.

"Yes, Ms. Gren?"

"You're the only one here who isn't a slipping hazard-" She held one of the school phones in her hand but hung it up. He nodded. "- go to the office and tell them to call the damn maintenance!" Yao nodded again and left his disgruntled class.

Later he asked Eduard and Matthias what happened. Matthias, one of the tallest seniors in his class, answered him while attempting to salvage his gel-spiked hair.

"Psh. Like we know. One moment we're getting a lecture on fighting by the principal, and the next _kazoosh_-"Matthias's hands went up, "there's this big-ass fountain makin' its home on our desk."

"A truly unbelievable thing considering the pipe was designed for things much stronger than any tool or chemical in this room." Eduard stated stiffly while wringing out his previous shirt and sighed. "Of course, this had to happen on the day I wore my new vest." Yao hummed in thought and glanced at the shut-off pipe.

He stepped closer and peered inside his hand coming up to feel along stretched and broken edges. His fingers met jagged lines, all marred and cracked with the explosion of pressure; the impromptu opening spread out like a frozen tidal wave. No cuts were found. "Why was the principal here?" He asked off the cuff.

"Oh, that's right you weren't here. Kirkland and Bonnefoy got into a scrabble." Yao didn't need to look back to see the smirk on Matthias's face.

"Again?"

"Yes. Apparently having those two as lab partners on Frog Day is a bad idea." Eduard's satirical tone made Yao laugh. He made a few more transcripts in his notebook before standing fully and turning back to them.

"Apparently."

Eduard and Matthias were going down the hall to 3rd period woodshop when Matthias swatted Eduard's back playfully. He ignored the outcry and yawned.

"Soooo, still getting those imaginary paper airplanes during Pre-Cal?" He asked while checking out a group of cheerleaders. Eduard regained his balance and glared at him.

"They are not imaginary, Raivis saw them too-! Oh, never mind. No, they've been gone for about two weeks now."

"Huh. Wonder why."

They take the 2nd story stairs down to the base floor and head down the west wing. As they enter the familiar garage slash classroom both notice Mr. George's overgrown plants: plants that were barely three inches tall yesterday. Eduard and Matthias go to their respective stations but Eduard continued to examine the shrubbery.

"I'm serious, something weird is happening in this school, Matthias. Pipes don't just bust for the hell of it." He put on his gloves nonetheless and inspected the blue-prints at his table.

"Uh-huh, just keep telling yourself that, dear." Matthias answered absently while checking his safety goggles. Eduard rolled his eyes.

"Don't patronize me."

Alfred was not happy. Contrary to the smile, sparkling eyes, and unruly laugh, his mood had continuously spiraled downhill since this morning. Hell, it wasn't even Braginski or first-period English that caused it. Well, he hadn't had breakfast either, which didn't help, but still.

His withering gaze was reflected back at him four-fold as the gem sat before him, its innocent glow making Alfred's mood worse. _So sweet, like you're not the source of frustration._ He slowly picked up the trinket and hardened his look. In the distance his weight-training teacher blared instructions.

The problems started two days after he left the hospital. Alfred hadn't been allowed to return to school immediately, but he was permitted to go home and relieved, he had completely forgotten his 'get well' gift in the building. However, it appeared on his bed soon after. Alfred hadn't been freaked out-he'd been fine with having it.

Then his football buddies visited. Alfred realized his mistake quickly as the others began to lightly tease him about the necklace. He'd laughed and said it wasn't his- he was keeping it for someone else. Alfred had an image to keep up, and sorry to say- sparkly jewelry didn't go with the 'football star' outlook.

He was not embarrassed, he just didn't want the hassle of teasing from everyone over it. So, Alfred had started 'losing' it wherever he went always tossing the damn thing in the nearest bush/trashcan/etc. He even left it in someone's car once. His efforts were to no avail though; the gem always found a way back into Alfred's backpack. Always. It didn't matter if he left it in the Sahara Desert, it'd be back the next morning, guaranteed, no money back.

Not only that, the damn thing had started to jerk and/or drag him towards other students against his will. Its surface always got brighter around practice time, home, and English.

Alfred blew air through his teeth and dropped the necklace back into his navy P.E bag and gave up. He'll just have to live with it- along with the electric powers.

A hand on his shoulder halted any further thought and Alfred looked up to see Mr. Adlan's tough stare.

"Sir." He nodded as the teacher slash coach returned the gesture before sitting down next to him.

"Alfred. I know you're just getting your bearings together after your accident, and I know you'd probably like to go home and rest after school."

"But…?"

"But we need all the support we can get at tonight's game." Alfred blinked. There was a game today? He looked ahead at the class. _How come no one told me?_

Seeing his expression Mr. Adlean held up a hand. "The others didn't want to tell you because you were still recovering and didn't want to bother you." Despite the gesture Alfred frowned.

"I'm not an invalid…" He never even used the crutches assigned him at the hospital. The teacher hummed in agreement.

"Exactly. Your support would be even more appreciated."

There wasn't really any argument for that- Alfred would come and support the team anyway now he knew there was a game. Alfred flashed his trade-mark smile.

"I'll be there!"

Tonight ended up coming faster than he suspected. The good news was, everyone was working together amazingly, and Yao barely had to monitor anyone. Francis's newspaper club ran most of the concessions while the digital media club ran the merchandise. Antonio's yearbook club sat filming the football game and all the pep band were there as well. In about ten minutes after them, Kirkland's band _The_ _Sentries_, would be coming on soon.

Yao hummed happily as he checked over the snack concessions one more time before going out to watch the game. Around him packs upon packs of people cheered and rooted for their players, either home or away; the noise was so massive it was a wonder if any of Hetalia High's players could hear Gilbert yelling at them to move it. Out on the field, Braginski caught the football thrown to him and weaved around the opposition like a hummingbird. Dive, pivot, swerve- Touchdown.

He crossed the safety-zone's white banner and the crowd ignited like fireworks. Even Gilbert, who held a strong dislike for Braginski, jumped up and applauded. From the sidelines, Alfred F. Jones threw encouragement to the lesser-experienced players. It looked like tonight everyone would be celebrating- partying, if Yao's learned anything. Seeing as how nothing needed immediate correcting, he decided to sit and watch the game for a while.

The score is 20-14 when the stadium lights die. It's nothing at first, just a blink from the bulb, some pulses.

Then, darkness. There's noise of confusion from most of the crowd while others cheer even louder than before; flashlights and phone screens flip on to illuminate student's faces. About twenty minutes went by in the mayhem before Yao finally huffed, turned his screen's brightness up, and made his way through a mass of bodies for the second time that day.

He located Gilbert and Mr. Adlan at the main controls.

"What's going on?" Yao questioned as he stood next to a pensive Mr. Adlan. Gilbert looked up from where he was holding a few the cords for technician and shook his head.

"No idea. None of the stadium lights are responding to the panels- hell, not even the generators are turning on!"

"Well, do something! We can't very well have a game in the dark-"

Mr. Adlan sighed. "No, I've seen this before." Both Yao and Gilbert turned to eye their teacher in perplexity. "If the generators don't come on soon, they won't come on at all. This is the Powers That Be, boys."

"B-but we were close to winning!" Gilbert said indignantly, "Surely we can wait a few more minutes?" Mr. Adlan hummed in thought.

"A few more minutes, yes. However, no longer than twenty or thirty."

Its forty-five minutes when the technician, Yao, and Mr. Adlan called it quits for the night. Gilbert agreed, though he said it a tad more forcefully and perhaps with a bit more kick and cursing than proper. Groaning echoed throughout the area and people started leaving the field; some of the players threw down their helmet in anger or merely shrugged and left the field to go change. The pep band was already gone.

Yao massaged his temple in mixed irritation and fatigue as he watched the cars leave.

"Just perfect. Well I guess we'll have to schedule another game." He muttered to himself. _More paperwork, wonderful. _He caught Gilbert arguing with his younger brother, Ludwig, about whether to continue working on the generators or not; they were both shouting in German- the roughest version Yao had ever heard. He's about to put a stop to it when someone bounded up to him and quite literally, barked in his ear.

"YAO! Is it true the game's postponed?!" Alfred yelled and Yao winced. He could _feel_ the vibration shatter both his ear-drums, he moved away from the other.

"Go a little louder, Jones, I'm sure Europe hasn't heard you yet. Yes, the game's done for tonight-generators won't kick in." He rubbed the offended appendage while Alfred uttered an apology.

"Sorry, man. Anyway, how'd you get Gilbert to give up?" He wondered. Yao merely pointed to the scene of Ludwig trying to actively pull Gilbert away from the generators. The German hadn't stopped between them, or at least he assumed it was German.

"We haven't."

"…Oh."

Both stared at the spectacle for a bit before Alfred heard grass crunching and turned to see his cousin approach them. He grinned and waved. Arthur merely nodded holding multiple cords and wires around his arm and clearly not enjoying the cold air. Yao soon saw why. Kirkland only had a light sweater on along with his leather jacket, red-checked pants, and black boots; the shirt barely covered his mid-drift and exposed his collarbone. Various chains crisscrossed against his belt adding to the punk-style he was known for.

"Hey Artie! Can you believe they canceled the game? It's totally unfair." Alfred addressed Arthur as the latter came to stand in front of them.

"Indeed. It almost seems suspicious but what's done is done. Yao," Yao blinked, "I need the keys to the band room. Matthias was an idiot and brought all of our gear to the school with his brother's truck without permission. Now we don't have the vehicle, and no space is left in our cars for the remaining equipment."

Yao sighed. "And why, per say, do you think I know where the keys are?" Yet he moved off the field and began to trek toward the school, Alfred and Arthur followed close behind. Alfred rolled his eyes and scoffed at the question.

"Because you like, know everything in this school?" He answered and examined his jacket for dust stains. Yao rose an eyebrow but said nothing.

_Well, I'm glad that's over. Hopefully Antonio locked everything up properly_. Francis sighed. _Probably not._ He moved over to where the newspaper club kept its merchandise. Just then, he heard shoes clattering on hallway floors and turned around to find three people walking down the corridor. He blinked and smiled. _Oh, perhaps they've come to help?_ At closer inspection he realized it was Alfred, Yao, and-

_Oh, hell no._ The bruise on his right cheek flared as Francis caught sight of Arthur Kirkland's form pacing towards him. He wasn't looking in his direction though- whatever Alfred was talking about held both his and Yao's attention. Well, that just simply wouldn't do, would it?

Francis cleared his throat loudly and watched with idle amusement as all three jumped; he leaned against the shop door and lazily waved. The smirk on Francis's face grew when he received two scowls in return.

"Evening classmates," he addressed candidly, "looking for a place to occupy for an hour or two? I recommend the basement- I heard it's the most popular spot in the school for ah, 'adventures'. Just be sure to keep it down or the janitor will hear you." Alfred gave him a confused look; Yao's face went entirely red in embarrassment; Arthur just downright growled.

"Shut it, Francis!" "My god, how could you even come to that conclusion-""I don't get it." Francis laughed and held up his hands.

"I'm kidding. But I am curious why you guys are here." Yao eyed him warily and held up one of his office keys. "Arthur needs the band room to store his stuff. Is Ms. Kim still in her office?" He asked. Francis thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"She's not. Are you heading there now?"

"Yes."

"I'll come with you then." He winked at Alfred, who in turn raised an eyebrow but just shrugged. Francis was careful not to walk on Arthur's side of the group.

When they got down to the office Francis hummed in victory. He'd been right; everyone was gone. He flipped some of his long, curly blond hair from his vision and crossed his arms while watching Yao quickly open the door and leaving the keys on the hanger. _Good, now I can go home and get a shower-_

**BANG.** All four teenagers whipped around and brought up their hands; above the lights flickered once, twice, and then stopped. Heavy breathing is all Francis can hear as the white of his hands stretch out in front of him braced for anything.

Nothing appeared.

Alfred's legs were like dough. "W-what the hell was that?"

"Oh, don't say that line," Arthur barked fighting off adrenaline, "it's impeccably cliché."

"I thought you said no one was here, Francis." Yao threw a look at him as he bit the sentence out. _God dammit, I nearly charred the place…_

Francis scowled. "Don't look at me! This is probably some ridiculous prank by the juniors or something." Another **bang** has the group flinch and Arthur backed away from the source of the noise: the front entrance.

"Or someone is trying to bloody break in!" He refuted. _Of course this happens when I can't use my powers. _Unbeknownst to him, of course, everyone was thinking the exact same thing. Another sound and they braced themselves for a robber or killer, someone who had a weapon and lethal intent.

That's when Yao heard it. The flapping of those wings, and the pounding of their feet as they hit the ground. He could envision red eyes that bled through the doors and claws that minced everything-

"RUN!" Yao hollered and scrambled away in the opposite direction-the other boys jumped at his volume but didn't question him. They ran down the north wing of the school with panic owning their legs, however, not quite as much as Yao himself. They hadn't seen these things-they didn't know the coldness of stone spears. Alfred chanced a look behind him and only saw black.

"-In God's name-"

"Keep going!" Francis shouted as they rounded a corner and Arthur swung the doors to the gym open:

Everyone saw him before they could stop themselves. With little warning, the four collided into a student coming out of the locker room and Alfred has a sense of de-ja-vu as he's sent tumbling once more into the ground. This time, however, there's no stupid streetlight to blame. His world consisted of swirling trash-bins and the groans of the others while he slowly picked himself up. _Got to-move-that thing is coming…_

However, he is the quickest to recover from the collision, well, almost; Alfred blinked a bit to settle his vision. When he did he noticed the fifth person now with them.

"Braginski?" Ivan gave him a withering look as he dusted off his scarf and hair. "I don't-what are you doing here?" Ivan sighed absently and peered around him.

"'Don't worry Jones, I fully accept your apology for tackling me to the floor without purpose.'" He said vacantly before fixing the wrap around his neck and rising an eyebrow. "I'm allowed to shower after the game, you know. Is there any particular reason why _you_ all are cantering down hallways at eleven o'clock at night?"

Alfred blinked and finally noticed the scattered array of health products on the gymnasium floor. _Oh…Whoops._ Hearing Ivan's question made him snap to attention though, and Alfred jumped up and spun around towards the doors. He felt more than saw the wind currents created by giant wings and backed up- almost tripping over Francis's form.

"Guys…"He started. The others, 'sans Ivan, caught his tone and got up immediately: Ivan was much more leisurely but his mood was going sour, quick.

"If this is some sort of prank you all are pulling, I am not impressed." He stated. However, even Ivan's head shot up as the noise of wing-beats and heavy vibrations began to shake the walls. Yao gulped.

"Boy, wouldn't that be great…"

The doors to the gym sailed across the floor.

Alfred flung open the entrance to the outside and led the group away from the school. Behind them with their dark wings, the _Atteros_ soared with power and fury unknown to humankind. It's marble form shining with intentions of battle and purpose. Bronze helmet gleamed in the moon's rays while an equally crafted spear was gripped in their right hand.

Francis, Alfred, Arthur, Yao, and Ivan weaved in and out of alleyways; they dared not move into the streets, less the beast followed them. The focus was small entry-ways, an impossibility for the creature's wings to maneuver in tight spaces. However, their search for such an alleyway came to an abrupt end when the last corner became a dead end.

"Shit!"

Everyone balked as the monster came down for a landing; the earth shook as stone-boots crashed into the dirt. Feathers folded and retracted as the Atteros stood its full height and Arthur felt like a cat looking up at a bull. A very, very angry bull.

He was going to die.

Then, Arthur felt his own fury bubble in his throat-this couldn't be the end. This wasn't, it was too ridiculous and nerve raking. Francis's reaction was much calmer and resigned. _Ah, this is for that accident, isn't it? This is my retribution._ Vines growing from the sides of the building began to crawl near him.

Alfred and Ivan were both completely still while they held the gaze of their foe; however, they didn't raise their fists or surrender to the chaser. No, not chaser. _Enemy_. The breeze around the premises picked up while clouds gathered and shook out the moon.

Yao watched on as the creature stepped closer taking its time. _Well of course- I doubt any of us has the power to match u-_His breath left him. Mouth went dry, his skin prickled, and Yao inhaled_._

The lights. Cracked window glass. Over-grown greenhouses, busted water pipes and singed pork. Dragons. Power-outages. The words in the circles. The opal beacon. Car wreck. Five. His thoughts came in rounds like a machine gun.

Alfred, Arthur, Ivan, Francis, and himself.

Five.

From where he stood Alfred felt a surging energy then, he gasped as heat burned across his chest and tangled his nerves like ropes, set his heart into shock. Light began to soar from his torso through his clothing catching Arthur and Ivan off-guard and making the Atteros step back.

Then, the jewel around his neck freed itself from Alfred's shirt and it floated up, up defying gravity, pulling Alfred's body along with it. Streams of light spiraled out of the diamond-case and flew around him almost protectively.

"Alfred-!" Francis yelled as he stepped further back from the Atteros and closer to the others. "Alfred-take that thing off-"

The jewel's light deepened but Alfred couldn't hear anyone. He stared, transfixed, as the opal and lapis swirls thrummed against the glass in excitement. _What is this thing_…? There's a voice, strong but delicate, which laced about him and soothed his thoughts. Alfred blinked and suddenly he saw her again: the lady from the crash. Her eyes exuded a jade intensity and her lips mouthed a sentence. No, just words-two of them, and Alfred's eyes widened.

Then she was gone and he was back in the alley. There's a beat, and then Alfred's eyes narrowed and he roared:

"Guardians, _Unite_!"


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – The True Beginning

"Guardians, _Unite_!"

His voice broke through the light and echoed the thunder currently tearing the sky to pieces. At his command, five great shafts of light split away from the jewel, outward, and lit up the area; they danced around Alfred playfully before four of them slipped away from him and headed toward the others.  
The first ray is a golden, willowy shape: It twisted and turned around the enemy before changing course and colliding with Francis. He shrieked as his body was enveloped in the yellow bands and lifted from the ground as ribbons whirled around him for a few moments; then, he is completely encased in a beige sphere.

The second, aqua beam is much faster, almost wild: it actually hit the Atteros before spinning and honing in on Ivan's form and entangling him. Yao's ribbon was by far the slowest, a dim crimson flare. However, this lack of hurry was Yao's doing as he stood perfectly still, the only boy to do so, and let the rays wrap and curl themselves around him. Alfred was already encased in his sphere; Arthur had actually ran away from the wispy bands until they split and surrounded him.

_This is it_. Arthur alleged with certainty as the light sealed himself off from the rest of the world. He gasped as water flooded his lungs and shrouded his body. In the madness, his heart beat harshly against his chest and Arthur panicked before shutting his eyes. _I can't swim-! _However, the liquid stole no air from him. Arthur felt rather than saw his jacket, shirt, pants, etc. evaporate and then be replaced with something smoother, more light-weight. His piercings went missing and something separated and fluttered onto his back.

When the water separated from him and his feet met the ground Arthur was already in a defense position. His gaze was targeted at the Atteros, and he raised his hands; the rush of something cool thrummed in his fingertips.

"Water."

The burnt aroma cascading around his body made Yao think of the coal mountains in his dreams; the ash swirling in his lungs felt like a welcome home, and he let his individuality slip away. His long, brunette hair released from his hair tie but quickly re-wound itself in a shorter braid and settled. Yao had only a brief moment of confusion when the new shoes he's fitted in were the traditional ones from back home.

His release is much more graceful than Arthur, his hands were also up already facing the stone monsters. The winged-being by now was blaring out battle cries and snarls, kept away by the jewel that shielded the teenagers. With a smirk to it, Yao breathed out.

"Fire."

Francis felt like he was dropping through a waterfall of leaves and vines, his own personal forest. Such calmness, he was sure he hadn't felt peace since-well, a long time. Then roughness met his skin as sand and dirt swept up his previous outfit and briefly left him bare; something akin to grass slid across his elbows and shoulders, and draped a heavy cloth on his back. The rest of the new clothes followed and Francis's sphere chipped away.

His short boots met the ground with a **CLUNK**.

"Earth!"

Ivan doesn't come nearly as quietly or as patient; the second the scarf vanished from his neck he snarled out and beat against his circular prism_. _His fists kept away any of the ribbons until something, literally, drew the fight and breath out of him, left him gasping. **Listen, boy**. A voice resonated in Ivan's skull making his vision bleak_**. **_**I am not a patient deity, nor am I obligated to save you; I highly suggest you cooperate. **Ivan's laugh came as a sneer. _You sound like Grandfather. Give me back my scarf_. There's no noise from the invading voice, and Ivan started to struggle again until he felt the familiar cloth wrapped around his neck again. There was a flash of comfort even as Ivan felt confusion. …_Thank you._

Ivan emerged from his transformation already in flight. He broke away from the sphere, soared up above the rest of the group, and then dived down to hover just above the Atteros.

A light smile played upon his lips.

"Air."

Light aqua and gold rays battered with vigor on Alfred and made his hair stand on end; his sphere a complicated mix between yellow thunder clouds and sapphire lightning bolts. There are a few spare strikes which pricked his skin and hit nerves semi-violently but Alfred did not register the lack of his own wardrobe until after the transformation was over.

He is the second guardian to come out of his sphere in mid-flight. Palms swung up aggressively and Alfred felt like he was playing sports again-all power was his backed by a team, the confidence radiated off his form in waves. Static waves, to be truthful. Offhandedly he noticed his glasses were gone, but his view was a perfect 20/20.

Alfred landed in front of the group with no smile but possessed one hell of a defiance. The necklace from before had vanished and now rested somewhere in the ether of Alfred's uniform. He crouched low.

"Quintessence!"

Now with the jewel's defense gone, the Atteros roared and brought up its spear in tantrum ready to attack. The boys braced themselves as it hurled toward the closest of them- Francis.

His eyes widened then tightened. Left hand out, Francis focused on the ground under them all and slammed it down; a boulder closely sized to a washer burst from below and hit the Atteros square on. Still bend down, Francis took his right hand and summoned emerald vines to bind the beasts' legs and arms. However, it was a short fix; the Atteros broke away in an instant and howled.

"Ivan!" Francis called and Ivan flew in front of him. He brought his arms up and spun creating a small tornado and unsettling the Atteros' balance, it fell with a clunk. The thing was non-stop screaming and Ivan felt a headache coming on. _Oh, quiet you._

"Yao!" Yao flew next to him and both soared up above the beast; the others quickly saw their plan and jumped away. "Fire!" Yao shouted as he let lose five great blasts powered by Ivan's wind. Two flames hit the Atteros and the rest created a careful circle around it; the flames reached high in the air and Yao's eyes widened. _I didn't mean to make it that big_. He turned to look at Ivan who had a light smirk on his face. The marble creaked, and the Atteros was clearly in pain and attempting to stand when Arthur and Alfred finished the job: Arthur doused the creature with one blast of water before Alfred let literal sparks fly between them. Each joint was stung with vigor and precision and in a matter of moments, the stone being was paralyzed from the neck down. Francis 'flung' a brick into the mouth of the beast to quiet the constant screeching and laughed.

"Now if we could just do the same thing to Gilbert, we'd be set." Yao, Arthur, and Ivan landed next to him while Alfred landed in front of the Atteros.

It's then when Arthur finally looked down at what he's wearing and shrieked.

"Good God, what are we wearing?!"

From above the alleyway, the woman smiled lightly.

"Well done, boys."

Alfred's head snapped up and he glanced at the rooftops, but no one was there.

Arthur, meanwhile, was pacing the alleyway muttering swears. The others, at Arthur's outburst, had inspected their own wardrobe and reactions ranged from completely taken aback to mildly surprised. Arthur created a puddle on the ground and frowned at the reflection.

He was wearing a long-sleeve, dark turquoise sweater which cut off at the end of his ribs revealing his stomach; a pink skirt draped down half-way on his thighs, with two long strips going to his ankles while his legs were covered completely by light blue and green, stripped leggings. Violet boots extended about three-fourths up from his feet. The long sleeves of his sweater had three squares cut out of them each, strings lightly twining through them up his shoulders.

If he was being honest, it was the colors that marred his mood more than the clothes; at least he had a hood. Then he turned around and noticed his new attachments.

"…Fairy wings. Well, that explains the flying." He moved one of them experimentally despite knowledge of using them a few minutes ago. Each wing had three dimly shaped sections in the form of curved tear-drops; the outside was lined with a black bone-like structure followed by a light blue, matching the leggings, curve surrounding the inner most part of the wing which was the same light green.

Yao adjusted the pink, not black, arm bands on his arms and shuffled his feet. He didn't mind the cloth pants or leggings, but the shoes were interesting. They were traditional Chinese shoes-specifically for males, except they were purple instead. Everyone seemed to have the same color scheme but in different patterns; his shirt was a pink sleeveless Chinese frog-bottom, with a bit of an extended collar. It also cut off right before the midriff area and a triangle-like shape was cut at the end. The silky blue-green pants had a slit on each leg that extended down from the thigh and tied together at the knee area; the bottoms were split in two.

Overall, he wasn't too impressed with the choice of clothing but compared to Arthur Yao had little to complain about.

"Dude, what the _hell_." Alfred grumbled and Yao peered over to him and smirked.

His outfit, like Yao's, was a pink-than-turquoise combination; his shirt had the sleeves sliced in five strips; two fell on the front, two in the back, and one under his arm. Alfred's shoulders were exposed unless he moved them while his stomach was also visible; however, unlike Arthur or Yao, Alfred's skirt was higher, a series of bands and came up to cover his sides. A section of the skirt and shirt framed his middle area. The boots went almost to his knees. Alfred also wore two pink fingerless gloves. "This is totally unfair- I want Francis's outfit, not this."

Francis chortled while flipping his, now completely down, lengthy hair. "Well dear, not everyone can have great fashion sense. Obviously your necklace picked up on my tastes." Arthur scoffed.

"I think you mean unhinged tastes." Francis stuck his tongue out childishly while Yao inspected the outfit.

It was pretty impressive. Francis's turquoise-pink combination had a long-sleeved cloak that came down about an inch from the ground; the clothing exposed his shoulders and collarbone somewhat as the shirt under it had a wide collar. There was no give in the sleeves either, each came up to the wrist before a part split and covered Francis's first finger and thumb. He had no purple or blue-green slacks on; the leggings were pants instead. The ends of his shirt extended down past the waist line but before the hips; despite the middle section being halved up to were Francis's ribs started, it barely showed his belly if he didn't move too much. His boots only went about an inch or two past the ankles.

Ivan, for the moment, lazily adjusted the familiar scarf around his neck, now the custom pink everyone was wearing instead of light tan. His aqua shirt mimicked that of a dancer's- the sleeves gone but replaced by elbow-long violet gloves which he flexed. He, like Arthur, had a skirt slit from the waist down to the feet on each side; he didn't wear leggings but had pants with boots that went up to his knees. Some part of his hips, instead of his stomach, were exposed.

He blew a breeze to sweep the ashes away. "Jones. Exactly what did you do to us?" He turned to Alfred who just held up his hands in defense.

"Dude, do not look at me, okay? I'm not responsible for any of this-well you know, other than bringing the weird trinket along." He motioned to his chest and the necklace suddenly materialized in front of him. "Whoa!"

"Fascinating." Yao said while stepping closer to it. "Does it always hide in your clothing?"

"I-I don't know, dammit, I just got this thing-"

Arthur butted in. "Wait, so you didn't give us our powers Alfred? I thought-"

The spear crashed into the wall next to them.

"Damn this world, stupid generators…" Gilbert hit the offensive object once more while Ludwig rubbed his temples warily.

"Gilbert, it's 12:13 a.m., can we please go now? You're not going to fix it." Gilbert's expression hardened at the generator then turned thoughtful. He hummed and then fished around in his pocket.

"True, right _now_ I can't, but you know-" Ludwig hit his brother upside the head.

"Don't even try. You know our powers aren't meant to be used for trivial matters!" Gilbert rolled his eyes before bringing out a silver pocket-watch from his coach jacket. He turned it back and forth with a smirk before pressing it against the metal surface and waiting.

"Just a quick fix Luddy, gods, you sound like I'm about to rob a bank." Ludwig blanched.

"Don't do that either. Just hurry up, please, before Romano starts throwing our things out of the van for being late…" Gilbert stood straight up then.

"Lud, check your map. Now." He blinked and frowned.

"Why-"

"Now." The golden sheet spread before them as Ludwig and Gilbert crouched on the ground. Gilbert hung his watch over the chart, he frowned and Ludwig inhaled when a huge "X" appeared and he put the timepiece away.

"Atteros." He spat scornfully.

"Dammit. Do you think they've found us finally?" They both stood and Ludwig inspected the coordinates carefully. Gilbert sighed.

"If they did we're in huge trouble. Nevertheless, we can't just let the beast roam the skies unwarranted." He started packing up the tools and carrying them to their van; when he opened the back door however he was immediately pelted with an empty shake. "Roma!"

"That's for taking so long, bastard." Romano deadpanned from his seat as Feliciano waved ecstatically.

"Hiyah Gilbert! Have you fixed the generator yet? Can we go home now- I want pasta." Gilbert chuckled as he put down the case.

"Yeah, we can go now. Um, actually, there's something we need to talk abo-"Ludwig appeared behind him hurriedly, expression extremely grave as he opened the driver's door. Gilbert blinked.

"Whoa Luddy, what's wrong?"

"That Atteros you found is behind Hetalia High." Gilbert dropped everything unceremoniously and shut the trunk door.

"Shit."

"Shit!" Alfred screeched as the spear tore through the brick like a knife in silk. "Move, people!" He flew above the attack and flipped backward before aiming at the now-reanimated Atteros.

"Quintessence!" His bolts caught the beasts' neck but heedlessly bounced off. _Oh, great. Now you stop working?_ Arthur paced back before noticing an old hydrant; he pointed one finger to it and the other to the Atteros.

"Water!" The hydrant came alive, shot up, and slammed into the winged monster causing it to backup into the opposite wall. There, Francis hit the brick and created two large hands that surrounded the Atteros, held it fast as it roared. However, the structure of the building groaned with stress. Yao frowned.

"Francis, that's an apartment complex you're using." Francis rolled his eyes but kept them trained on the distressed beast.

"I know that, dear, but this is much easier than dodging javelins. By the way, I give this method about five minutes, so please devise a strategy quickly." He glanced behind him at Alfred who nodded and motioned to everyone.

"We need a way to break that marble shell." He stated stiffly while crossing his arms. "Anyone have suggestions?"

Yao observed the thrashing Atteros. "Marble is a combination of calcium carbonate, which is highly susceptible to acidic agents- diamond can cut it too."

Arthur scoffed. "Like any of us have the skill to create either at the moment. We need something more industrious-"

"Extreme temperatures." Ivan cut in and ignored Arthur's scowl. "However to heat up such a target, especially one that can fly, without burning the building is impossible."_ Or the alley for that matter._ He idly watched as Alfred processed this information with a hands on his hips.

Alfred's vision slowly moved from the ground in thought and took inventory of the objects around them: a few small metal pipes, some wire, a spindle, and a whole length of thick, iron chains were pressed against the wall closest to him. He stepped toward the items and bent down. Then, Alfred looked up to the sky, to the other guys, and back down to the ground at his feet. His expression stayed neutral but inside he smirked. _Yeah- that just might work._ He stood up and whipped around when Francis's pained gasp was heard.

"Guys? I hate to rush you, but could you hurry it up a little?" Francis grumbled weakly as his brick appendages began to crack and recede, his arms struggled to stay fastened to the fuchsia stone. The others' eyes widened as the Atteros freed one of its upper limbs and summoned the spear back to it; with one fell swoop, the hands broke away from its form completely. Caught off guard by the rebound, Francis has no time to move and is struck, hard, by the javelin- he's down on the ground, completely out in the next second.

"Francis!" Arthur exclaimed while Yao swore and both speedily dodged the Atteros attack before picking up his comatose form; Ivan provided a block of air for a defense as they flew to the other end of the passageway. It's then Alfred joined the group as Arthur inspected Francis's injuries.

"How is he?" Alfred asked apprehensively and Arthur shook his head.

"No bleeding, but I doubt he'll be up anytime soon." Alfred nodded.

"Alright. Be ready to move him on my count. Yao," said man looked up, "see those chains over there?" He followed Alfred's hand and nodded. "We need to get the Atteros in an area where we can cook him without setting fire to the neighborhood; I suggest the sky, whatta ya think?"

Yao stared pensively at the links, then he hummed in revelation with a light smile.

"Indeed." Alfred grinned before standing fully and going to Ivan's side; he created his own elemental force-field in assistance. Ivan, however, did not acknowledge his presence and Alfred sighed. _Well, wouldn't be the first time._ He spoke anyways.

"Braginski, on my mark-"

"Oh, are you finally joining the fight?"

"-Shut up. This is serious." Ivan scoffed and readjusted his shield to accommodate the extra power.

"So was last week's tournament." Alfred blinked momentarily puzzled before shaking his head and focusing on their shared enemy.

"On my mark, go long." That time Ivan actually did glance at him for a moment, then back to the Atteros. He huffed, amusement dancing in his odd violet eyes.

"Very well." _Let's see if our little team can score._

The Atteros interrupted any further conversation with its blaring of battle cries and beating down on both shields full-force. Alfred contained his wince at the smash and continued to glare into the beast's carved irises.

"On my mark, get ready-"Everyone tensed and Arthur slung one of Francis's limp arms over his shoulder.

"Set-"Ivan crouched low to the ground, feet dug into the ground; Yao turned around to face the forgotten construction supplies.

"-Go!" Both buffers disappeared and they all parted in three directions. Alfred took off into the night, his eyes trained solely on the stars and Ivan's wings. Cool air grazed his cheeks and Alfred swiftly glanced behind him to make sure- he sighed in relief as the marble statue beat its wings furiously trying to catch up to the two. _Good, it followed us_. He could faintly make out the form of Yao gathering the chains up and Arthur setting down Francis on a rooftop.

Yao lifted the chains easily from where they laid and spinning around he threw them into the sky. "Heads up!" Alfred and Ivan rotated around at the same time and, crossing each other's path, grabbed ahold of one end of the links. They spun around and around, until the chains completely wrapped and bonded the screaming Atteros in a complicated array of stone and metal.

Yao joined them then and put one hand on his arm and aimed. The air grew heavy with molten ash as Yao completely engulfed the struggled beast in flames; Ivan and Alfred held it tight and Alfred's eyebrows rose in morbid fascination as steel melted into the marble foundation. However, he cursed as the weight of the Atteros now doubled. When Arthur is seen flying toward them and the melting is complete, he called out.

"Alright!" His lightening soon joined the flames and soared around the mass, the bolts busied with heating up the surface even more. Soon the Atteros is nothing, but a bright, glowing crimson lump in the sky, and Alfred smirked. He looked up to Ivan and Arthur.

"Okay, Yao enough." The fire cut out immediately. "Ivan, Arthur, send 'em hurling down." He and Ivan released the chain at the same time and Ivan soared up then changed direction.

"_Air!_" With a backflip, he summoned a gash of wind and kicked it into the falling Atteros increasing the speed thrice-fold. Arthur soon followed with an explosion of water from his own palms. Alfred whooped when he saw a breakdown of the calcium carbonate. Not only did Arthur upturn the velocity of the Atteros, he was changing the temperature too fast for the marble surface to adapt; one last howl scraped everyone's ears before the stone hit the ground and shattered entirely.

Giant shards stuck up at random locations, some little, and others about as big as a soccer ball. The boys take care in landing again and Yao inspected the damage; he cautiously picked up one piece turning it over in his palm. With a noise, he peered even closer at it.

"Huh. You were right Alfred, the statues only have a marble exterior- the rest is just plain rock." He spoke fascinatedly. Arthur bent down to look at one of the larger shards and frowned.

"So, we just needed to get rid of the surface?" He idly poked the piece and yelped when the slice stirred.

Suddenly the fragments began to shake and a blue glow surrounded them all; Alfred and Ivan narrowly dodge the pieces flying away from their place and toward the impact sight.

"Shit," Alfred swore, "they're going to regroup-"He tried to off-set their course by firing his bolts, but they merely moved out of the way. "Dammit, we can't keep doing thi-"

His words died when, as the marble is beginning to form again, a boulder the size of a car smashed down on them; his eyes widened as the ground around it shook and broke away taking all the pieces with it. It's sealed up in the next instant, and everyone heard a groan from above. Looking up, Alfred blinked at the form of a slowly descending Francis who was currently rubbing his head warily.

He landed with a thump and examined everyone critically for a moment. Then, Francis sighed.

"Can we go home now?"

His boots echoed off the steep walls as Gilbert sprinted to the coordinates Ludwig had provided; a curse or a mumble ran from his lips every so often as he saw indications of a chase. The brick had huge slashes in them and a few new dents. Gilbert adjusted his ebony armor with the hand not holding his arrow-shaped spear and tapered his eyes. _Come on, let me get there in time._

Following the marks he turned a corner and halted.

The alley was a complete dead-end, but that wasn't what made him stop. As Gilbert entered the space fully, he took note of the obvious signs of battle marring the ground: patches of dirt and concrete had turned black with soot, and several water pipes were broken apart and still dripping. In some parts of the wall the brick looked very twisted and disfigured but remained together. However, the real kicker to this situation could barely be seen. It lay on the ground, the radiant chrome glow long seen gone.

"Impossible…" Gilbert walked to the crest of their sworn enemy, a severe but puzzled expression on his face. _Amethyst_. He knew it- seen the banner a thousand times by now, it's violet and blue colors flying in the afternoon wind. The eagle spiraling downward into an abyss of thorns, a checkered shield in the background with horns. The emblem was surrounded with a circle of tightly woven roots, again, with thorns. A declaration of war and the only marker to show you had truly killed an Atteros.

However, such a situation couldn't have been presented in front of Gilbert. He and Ludwig were the only beings in this world, presently, who had the power to accomplish such a feat. Gilbert bent down and felt the colored and chilly soil; he lifted the dust and let it drain through his fingertips pensively.

_BRRRRIINNNNGGGGGG_. "SON OF A BI-"He fell over in a heap of metal and limbs yelling. "Gods, Ludwig give me a heart-attack-"He reached into a small knapsack slung around his shoulder and dragged the offending piece of technology out. "Yes?" He answered.

"_Is everything alright? Did you find the Atteros?"_ Ludwig's grave voice asked. Gilbert rolled his eyes while dragging a thumb through the dirt more.

"Yes, Ludwig, you'll be happy to know he brought tea this time and we're having a fantastic discussion-which you interrupted, by the way." He sat up fully and heard Ludwig growl.

"_Gilbert_."

"It's gone, Luddy. Killed."

"_How_?!"

Gilbert looked back at the vandalized pipes and brick and sighed deeply. He really wanted a drink about now.


End file.
